


The Pesticide Paradox

by Chogiwatree614



Category: EXO (Band), Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Gen, MAMA Era Powers (EXO), Obsession, Psychological Torture, X-EXO Clones (EXO)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 19:47:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 56,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28765815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chogiwatree614/pseuds/Chogiwatree614
Summary: The pesticide paradox/ˈpestəˌsīd/nounstates that applying pesticide to a pest may end up increasing the abundance of the pest if the pesticide upsets natural predator–prey dynamics in the ecosystem.-EXO aren't superheros; they're dangerousËXØ aren't dangerous; they're deadlyRed Force isn't a high tech corporation; it's a group of overzealous scientists who think they can fight fire with fire and not get burned
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 38
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter: 1

_Mokpo, South Korea_

_Red Force Base_

_November 2nd_

_23:15_

Eerie silence. It filled the elevator as the metal capsule descended, passing floors two and one to reach ground zero. The hum of a machine crept in through the crack between the sliding doors. A fan buzzing in someone’s office. The ruffling of papers as employees packed up for the night.

The doors slid open and five occupants stepped into the white colored hallway. Four guards and one employee, all armed with at least one gun. The four men dressed in heavy SWAT gear surrounded the women in white, clutching their weapons close to their chests.

They marched to the end of the hall, boots thumping and echoing off the walls. It drowned out the sound of the woman’s heels tapping on the tile as she followed them to the metal doors at the opposite end of the hallway.

The card key attached to her belt fit into the slot on the door and the light up above glowed green. Two guards pushed into the next room, allowing a gush of wind to swirl around their helmets.

They came to a stop at the foot of the stairs, where a short woman in a lab coat stood. She cradled a clipboard in her arms, wobbling in her heels as she tried to stand with perfect posture. The first woman reached out to shake her hand, her mouth taut and her eyes unblinking.

“Yeri.” Her voice sounded flat, mirroring the deadpan look on her face.

“Welcome back, Miss Joohyun. I hope the flight here wasn’t too bad.”

“Inconvenient, at most.” She started towards the stairs, and Yeri quickly followed. “I had plans to visit NEO Zone, not fly halfway across the world to see your lab rats play with puzzles.”

“Well, Miss Joohyun, I think this is more important.”

They reached the top of the stairs, leading into another hallway identical to the last. Windows replaced walls, looking down on a series of complex passageways and dead ends. Joohyun stopped at one window to watch the maze below, craning her neck in search of anything inside.

“Why is it so dark?”

“They’re sleeping.” Yeri answered, tapping her pen on the edge of her clipboard.

“They sleep?”

“They do a lot of things.”

Joohyun pressed up against the window to get a better look, her breath fogging the glass. “And they’re not dead.” She said, more as a statement than a question.

“All nine of them.”

“Impressive.”

Yeri smiled proudly. “They’re six months old, you know.”

“But, they’re not your first batch.” Joohyun commented, stepping away from the glass.

“No, they’re not.”

“What went wrong with the first? Seulgi wasn’t very clear when she said you found a mistake in the coding.”

Her smile faltered. “They didn’t function as they should.”

“That’s offly vague, Yeri. What exactly did you do?”

“I made a mistake.”

“I’m aware. What mistake? What went wrong with the first batch?”

She rubbed her hands together. “They were a bit more violent than we anticipated.”

“Too violent? That’s all?”

“We programmed them to kill, but…”

“What? From the sound of it, they did just that.”

“Yes, but-” She cleared her throat. “They were more violent than anticipated.”

“Did they kill one of my employees?”

“No, thankfully.”

“They killed each other, didn’t they?”

“It’s not just that-”

“So, they did kill each other?”

“Well, yes. But, you see-”

“Then, what happened, Yeri?”

“They didn’t just kill each other. They ate each other.”

Joohyun turned back to the glass. The lights flickered on for a moment, revealing the makeshift home confined in the walls of the maze. In the split second the rooms became visible, she saw what looked to be a mini restaurant in the center, complete with a bar and tables seated for two. The lights flickered out and the room filled with darkness again.

“Everything seemed to be going smoothly at first. They were learning; we had a little bit of success in developing the foundation for their skill sets. We turned off the lights for the night and the next morning, we found they tore each other apart.”

“How old were they?”

“Two months old. Our second batch has lasted much longer with very little complications.”

Joohyun paced back and forth, waiting for the lights to turn on again, watching the darkness like a hawk from her perch. A single light twinkled above an empty room on the far side of the maze, but it didn’t cast enough light to see beyond the wall.

“They’re quite smart, you know.” Yeri continued. “They know how to communicate well. They have good problem solving skills, and unlike the last batch, they function well together.”

“Can they kill?”

“Yes, of course. They can do a lot of things, like I said. They’re even learning how to teach themselves. Just last week subjects 99 and 12 learned how to play chess. Well, something like chess. We can’t actually understand how they play when all the pieces are identical, but it makes sense to them.”

Another flicker of light, and Joohyun caught a glimpse of an office.

“They’re smarter than we expected. Smarter than us, it seems.”

“Should that concern me?”  
“On no!” She quickly laughed. “I don’t mean they’ll outsmart us. They’re very obedient, you know.”

“They sound perfect, but will it be enough?”

Yeri pondered the question for a moment, tapping her pen again. “I believe so.”

“That doesn’t sound very convincing. I don’t need those pests ruining things for us again. They’ve slipped away far too many times.”

“Yes, well that won’t happen again. I am confident they will be taken care of.”

“You said that last time, before that snake set everyone free. What was it you called him? EXO’s little flashlight? He won’t cause any problems; isn’t that what you said?”

She rubbed the back of her neck. “I may have underestimated their abilities. But, now that I understand them, I’ve created the perfect weapon to destroy them.”

The lights flashed wildly and Joohyun approached the window again to watch the show. The bulbs on the west side lit up in waves, while the east side flickered on one by one. Then, it went black again.

“What is this? Have you not called utility?”

“Oh, there’s nothing wrong with the lights. That must be subject 04. He’s quite restless at night. I don’t think he likes the dark.”

“But, the others sleep well?”

“For the most part. Subject 61 complains about frequent headaches. And subject 94 doesn’t like how stiff his mattress feels.”

A lightbulb blew out above their heads, scattering glass at their feet. Joohyun jumped back, ducking to avoid the jagged pieces from coming in contact with her skin.

“Are they as deadly as they are reckless?” She asked as she brushed glass chips from her shoulder.

“Yes, very. Would you like to see? I don’t believe any of them are asleep after that light show.”

Yeri pulled a walkie-talkie off her belt and tuned into channel 12. Static filled the otherwise quiet room, followed by the muffled voice of another employee.

“Yeri, how is our visitor this evening? Over.”

“Miss Joohyun is doing well, Joy. I’d like to put on a demonstration for her. Could you turn on the lights? Over.”

“Sure thing. Over.”

A moment later, the ceiling came to life with glowing bulbs, making the maze below fully visible. Joohyun leaned forward to peer into their bedrooms, but couldn’t see any sign of life.

“It looks empty.”

“Oh, they’re good at hiding. They’ll come out eventually.” Yeri held the walkie-talkie to her mouth again. “Joy, looks like our subjects are a little shy in the presence of an unfamiliar face. Why don’t we bait them? Over.”

“Of course. Wendy will bait the hook right now. Over.”

With curious eyes, Joohyun watched the maze, waiting for something to happen. The creaking of metal sounded beyond the glass and the sound drew her attention to the crane slowly gliding above the maze. Attached to the hook was the corpse of an adult cow, recently killed with poisonous gas.

“What on earth are you going to do with that? They’re not wolves.”

“Oh, they won’t eat it. It’s for recreational use.”

With the press of a button, the crane lowered into the mini restaurant. As the corpse inched closer to the ground, the lights went out again.

“Wonderful. I can’t see a thing.”

“They prefer if you don’t see. Their tactics remain a mystery to us.”

“You mean you’ve never seen them kill?”

“No, but we’ve seen the result.”

The crane rocked ever so slightly, creating a low whine. Then, silence fell over the maze and Joohyun strained her eyes to make out any movement.

“Nothing’s happening.”

Yeri spoke into the walkie-talkie again. “Joy, tell Wendy to wind it in. Over.”

“On it. Over.”

The crane creaked again as the gears pulled the corpse above the walls. Or, what was left of the corpse.

The lights turned on and Joohyun nearly gasped at what she saw. Blood oozing from every crevice in the black and white spotted flesh. Skin torn apart, revealing the bone underneath. A piece of wet flabby skin slid off the rib cage and splattered into a pool of blood below.

The legs bent outward at the knees and the sharp point of the broken bone stuck out in places. The hooves were chopped off. The backside had been skinned, the tail randomly tied in a knot. Its head was removed. In its place was the remainder of its spine, dangling from the stump and dripping with blood. A long slit stretched from the throat to the back legs, opening the stomach completely.

The head sat on the floor, just below the crane. Its eyes were gouged out. The mess indicated it was done with fingers, not a weapon. One ear went missing, the other held onto the body by a string of flesh. Its bottom jaw dislocated and slouched below its original position, causing the tongue to loll forward. Scorch marks trailed along the top of the skull, turning the skin black and crisp.

Joohyun stared in awe, at a loss of words. Yeri watched her face in anticipation; anticipation of a reaction, a positive one for once.

“They’re monsters.” She breathed, a ghost of a smile on her face.

“They’re more than that.” Yeri said. “Our first batch were monsters. They couldn’t be controlled. But these-” She gestured to the window. “They’re not just teaching themselves how to be killers; they’re teaching themselves how to be human.”

Joohyun turned to Yeri, her arms crossed over her chest. “My, my. This was an unexpected surprise.”

The younger smiled shyly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s nothing, really.”

“Are they ready to be released? I want to see what they’re capable of outside these walls; no restrictions.”

“Oh, I don’t know. They’re still young. Maybe a few more months of training.”

“And then?”

“And then we’ll see where things go from there.”

⬣⬣⬣

_Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada_

_NEO Zone (Red Force Sub-Base)_

_December 13th_

_16:42_

The buzz of helicopter blades filled the afternoon air as a woman in a grey pantsuit stood on the helipad, raising a hand to block the sun’s rays out of her eyes. Wind whooshed past her, whipping up her hair and ruffling her clothes. The helicopter landed on the helipad and the doors slid open, revealing four SWAT guards.

They hopped out first, followed by a woman with blonde hair and a dark blue jumpsuit. She had an army hat on and aviators, paired with big black boots and a key card attached to her breast pocket.

The woman in the grey pantsuit fixed her hair as the propellers died down. “Wendy.” She greeted with a nod.

“Good to see you, Seulgi. You got everything ready for us?”

“Yes but,” She looked past Wendy’s head at the four guards behind her. “Where is us? This can’t be all.”

“Don’t worry, we followed the trucks here.”

“Why didn’t you ride with them?”

Wendy laughed, adjusting the aviators further up the bridge of her nose. “Sitting in an enclosed vehicle with those demons? I’d rather not.”

“Are they as bad as they say?”

“No. Worse.”

On the street below, nine heavily armed trucks drove beyond the front gates, parking along the garages towards the back of the building. Wendy and Seulgi took the elevator down to the first floor, where an army of guards swarmed the lobby.

“Are they ready to be moved?” Wendy asked, her booming voice carrying across the room.

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Then, what are you all doing in here?”

“W-waiting for your order, Ma’am.”

“I just gave you the order. Get out there and unload the trucks.”

They hesitated to move. Seulgi noticed how they clutched their guns so tightly, their knuckles turned white. She chuckled at the sight.

“They’re making me nervous. Those demons can’t be that bad, right?”

“Oh, Seulgi…” She patted her on the shoulder, before following the guards out to the garages. With a deep breath, Seulgi followed too, staying close to the man in front of her.

The doors swung open and nine trucks came into view, all parked right after the other. Seulgi stood back as Wendy and the guards maneuvered between each vehicle, reading the numbers written on the side.

“Which one should we open first?” Wendy asked, directing the question at anyone willing to answer.

“Whichever one’s the least dangerous.” Seulgi spoke up.

“They’re all dangerous.”

“Well, whichever one’s the least.”

“I think they’re all equally bad.”

“Why don’t we pull numbers?” A guard suggested. “We put the numbers in a hat and pull.”

So, they wrote each number down on a ripped slip of paper and placed all nine of them into Wendy’s hat. Once they gathered them all, Wendy turned to Seulgi and nodded.

“You choose.”

She reached in slowly, holding her breath and praying for a good one. As if there were any good options to begin with. A slip got caught between her fingers and she pulled it out to read the number aloud.

“61.”

“No. Pull another.” Wendy said immediately.

Seulgi dropped the slip in the hat and grabbed another. “01.”

“Alright then. 01 it is.”

They circled to the back of the first truck, eyeing the doors. Not a sound resonated from the interior, and Wendy felt almost certain that he escaped.

“They should be unconscious.” She told no one in particular. “We really have no reason to worry so much.”

Two guards unlocked the doors and swung them open, revealing metal chains along the ground. Wendy inched closer, trying to get a glimpse at the subject in the darkness.

“Grab him.”

They removed each body from their metal prisons and put them on stretchers, tying each down with leather straps and putting muzzles over their sleeping faces. Each were put in their own private garage, equipped with a bed, bathroom, and TV.

The last one out was subject 61, who stirred in his sleep as they strapped him down. The soldiers securing him froze and turned to Wendy for further instructions.

“He won’t wake up, will he?” Seulgi asked, backing away.

“Don’t just stand there! Get him inside in case he does!”

They fastened the straps at lightning speed, then lifted the stretcher off the ground and rushed him into his respective garage. Seulgi wouldn’t allow herself to breath until they locked his door.

“They’re not so bad.” She chuckled nervously.

“Just wait until they wake up.” Wendy said.

“Don’t you think it’s a little soon to let them out without restrictions? I think Miss Joohyun is getting ahead of herself.”

“I don’t know. Yeri says they’re good at taking orders. As long as we keep them in check, we should be fine.”

“They’ve never been outside.”

“No, they haven’t.”

“And now you’re going to throw them out there in the world with no preparation? It doesn’t sound safe, Wendy.”

She turned to face Seulgi. “EXO’s here; you do realize that, right? They’re here and they know we are too. Miss Joohyun will not risk losing NEO Zone of all places, not after all the work you’ve done here.”

Seulgi nodded, turning to subject 61’s door as if she expected him to break out and scorch her to death. “They make me nervous, Wendy.”

“I don’t blame you. They’re exactly the monsters they were built to kill. A bit ironic, don’t you think?”

“And what if they turn out just like EXO? I mean, making carbon copies of monsters is just that; more monsters.”

“But, we can control them, Seulgi.” She put a hand on her shoulder. “You’ll see. Tonight, when we release them, you’ll see what ËXØ is really capable of.”


	2. Chapter: 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catching the train to Incheon

_ Seoul, South Korea _

_ Seoul Station _

_ November 27th _

_ 18:30 _

_ One year later _

“The train! The train!”

A voice echoed from miles ahead. It traveled across the arid landscape, riding on the dusty wind, reaching the ears of the people towards the back. Someone stopped in their tracks and the person behind them stopped too, until everyone dug their boots in the sand and came to a halt.

“Why are we stopping?”

“Did someone say the train?”

“The train! The train!” The voice sounded again, louder than before. Up ahead, dust kicked up and swept away with the breeze, stinging the eyes of travelers and entering their lungs.

“He’s seen the train!” Someone else shouted. “The train! The train!”

“Where?”

“Look! Up ahead!”

From a distance, the station appeared as an amorphous dot on the horizon, disfigured by the haze hovering above the sand. The travelers squinted against the sun’s harsh rays, making out the outline of a building.

“The train! The train!”

One person sprinted forward, tripping over rocks and cracks in the dirt. Then, another followed, dragging two children by the arms. Three more followed, and another, and another.

In a matter of minutes, all one hundred and then some travelers darted across the sand, sweat beating from their foreheads and absorbing into the bandanas tied around their scalps. They pushed and shoved, knocking each other off their feet and into the sand, desperate to reach the front of the herd.

The ones who made it to the station first ran onto the platform and slapped the side of the train, demanding the doors be opened. In the window above, a man in a helmet and mask appeared, covered head to toe in SWAT gear.

“Open the door!” They screamed over one another. Inside, the soldier ran down the aisle and yanked at the lever, allowing only one door to open.

They couldn’t get the other cars open in time. With only a single doorway standing in between life and death, the travelers fought harder to squeeze through.

A man pulled himself up and grabbed onto the soldier’s arms. Two others grabbed his legs and pulled him back, then climbed over him and crushed his fingers under their boots.

A woman yanked at another’s hair, before shoving them to the ground. Fists went flying, bones snapped, blood spilled. Children stood in the middle of the chaos, crying, crawling through the entanglement of legs to find their parents.

More soldiers stepped off the train to round up the travelers and restore order to the platform. A shot went off and the people ducked in fear, wrapping their arms around their heads.

“Women and children on first! Let them through! Move! Move it!”

The men were pushed aside as women gathered up small children (whether it was their own or not) and took the hands of soldiers who pulled them up. They crowded into one cart. Seats that normally sat four filled up with eight or nine. Some of the children sat on the floor and in between their legs. If their legs hung into the aisle, the soldiers kicked their ankles to make room.

It soon became evident that they had a problem on their hands; there wasn’t enough room. They couldn’t fit every woman on and hadn’t boarded a single man. A soldier turned to his comrade standing by the door.

“Open car B!”

The soldier heard him, but couldn’t make out what he said over the shouting of angry men and crying women. He cupped a hand over his ear, prompting the first soldier to raise his voice.

“Car B! Open car B!”

The words processed in his brain and he sprinted down the aisle, jumping over dangling legs and feet. An older woman backed up to give the girl next to her room to move, bumping into the soldier running by. He tripped over a foot, falling into another woman’s lap.

“Open car B!” Another soldier shouted, much closer than the first.

The soldier sprung to his feet and pushed his way to the back of the car. His fists wrapped around the handle tightly as he yanked the door open, revealing an empty car.

Immediately, women jumped up from their seats and trampled the soldier as they ran into the next car. A few young men followed them, boarding the train without permission.

Outside, the remaining men fought against the soldiers to reach the door. “Let us on!” They screamed, pushing against their armour.

“One at a time! Back up! Back up!” A baton sliced through the air, sending the men jumping back. The young man closest to the door was pulled in first, making the others dance from foot to foot with impatience.

The process was slow and tedious. There were too many people and too little seats. They opened up car C, exceeding the limit of two cars per visit. The train sat in the station longer than expected. And the longer they stayed, the more likely they were to be found.

Almost an hour later and a handful of men still waited by the door, reaching for the soldiers. A teenager stood towards the back, watching the horizon as he waited his turn.

The wind picked up. He felt sand scraping against his cheeks. An old newspaper blew up against his leg. The headline read  _ Extraterrestrial Life On Earth: E.X.O _ . Then, it was torn from his fingers, swept away in a cloud of sand.

“The air.” He said to no one in particular. “It’s wet.”

“What?” The man to his left heard him.

“Can you feel it? The air is wet.”

Their gaze directed towards the sky. Not a cloud in sight. They looked to each other again, and something flickered behind their eyes.

“The air is wet.” The boy said again.

Another man up ahead echoed his words to inform those within earshot. It jumped from mouth to mouth, until the soldiers up front heard it.

“It’s wet! The air is wet!”

“The wind’s picked up!” Someone added.

A wave of panic came crashing down on the travelers. Driven by their survival instincts, they clawed at each other to make it through the door. The soldiers had no control over them anymore. There was nothing they could do.

“Did you hear that?”

“They said the air is wet.”

“Look. The wind’s picking up.” 

The women inside crowded around the windows, watching the chaos unfold outside. They pressed their hands against the glass, feeling moisture building up on the surface.

“Do you see that?” A finger pointed to the little droplet of rain running down the wall. It dripped onto a child’s nose and they realized it wasn’t outside. The moisture was in the train.

“Get the door!” A soldier shouted from the steps. “We can’t take anymore! We have to depart now!”

Two more gripped onto the lever, fighting against the push of the abandoned travelers. Their fingers wriggled through the gap in the door, desperately trying to pry it open. Their open palms slammed against the window. Their breath fogged up the glass until their faces became blurred.

The train whistled, gears turned, and the men left on the platform grew smaller and smaller as they pulled out of the station.

Another drop landed on a soldier’s helmet. He looked up, noticing water running from the ceiling. His fingers grazed over a wet spot on the wall, feeling how warm it was.

Something flashed in his peripheral vision. He looked over his shoulder to see lights flickering in car B. Behind them, car C went completely dark.

And then they heard thumping. Moving from the back of car C to the front of car B. It came from the roof. Something was on top of the train.

The soldier’s eyes followed the noise, before it cut off just as it reached car A. He touched the water on the wall again, but the metal shocked his finger and forced his hand back.

The soldier beside him removed his helmet to wipe sweat from his face. “We need to get off this train.” He said quietly so as not to alert the travelers sitting nearby. Only a young woman overheard them, and she lightly tapped on his arm.

“We’re in danger, aren’t we?” She asked. The soldiers didn’t respond.

“You know how to kill those things, don’t you? You know how to survive. They teach you these things before they send you here to Korea, don’t they?”

“I know they’re hard to kill.” One replied.

“But, it’s not impossible, right? Three of them are already dead, right? You’ll know what to do if they get into the train, right?”

“I-” He swallowed dryly. “I’ve never even seen one.”

“But, you’ve trained for this. You’ll keep us safe, right?”

The lights suddenly blew out and a woman screamed. Hushed voices filled the darkness, quiet sobbing. The soldiers pointed their guns towards the ceiling, not knowing where else to aim.

Something warm and wet touched a soldier’s hand. He rubbed his finger over it, noting how... _ fleshy _ it felt. The air smelled like iron. The temperature rose to scorching levels. Water sloshed around the floor. Sparks jumped from metal surfaces. A breeze brushed past their heads.

“God, save us.” A small voice said.

⬣⬣⬣

_ Incheon, South Korea _

_ Incheon International Airport _

_ November 27th _

_ 21:14 _

The trip from Seoul Station to Incheon International Airport was one hour on the train. The cavalry waited for three. Assuming their men arrived at the station around six, they should have returned already.

Wendy put a pair of binoculars to her eyes, watching the tracks, waiting for something to turn the corner. If it didn’t show in the next hour, she’d have to board the planes without the survivors.

“Something must have gone wrong.” She said to whoever was within earshot. “If that train doesn’t make it back, neither will the people still stuck here.”

“Would it matter?’ Joy asked, sitting on a crate of rations and applying nail polish to her fingertips. “It’s not like they’ll be any better off in America. ËXØ will go wherever the hell they please.”

“They follow EXO.” Wendy said, wiping dust off her lenses. “If EXO’s in Korea, they will be too. As long as we keep them here and get everyone else out-”

“Are you hearing yourself? You want to move an entire country across the ocean and cross your fingers that EXO won’t follow? They’ve already torn Canada apart and fucked up Germany. Once they destroy this place, they’ll just land in another country until there’s no more to flatten.”

Wendy scoffed. “Aren’t you optimistic.”

“I’m also right. We’re all screwed, and I wholeheartedly blame Yeri for this mess.”

“Yeri? Don’t act like you didn’t sit on your ass all day flipping through DNA coding like a damn magazine.”

“Oh, says the one who dropped them off at a random gas station in Canada and told them to have at it. Spoiling a dog with bones is just as bad as neglecting to give them any; they’re gonna want more.”

“What do you suggest we do then, Joy? Leave Korea to rot and run back to NEO Zone?”

She shrugged. “Sure. We’ll be safe with Red Force. The rest of the world is doomed to go to hell, so we might as well let it. Why do you care so much anyways? You want to help all these people out of the goodness of your heart?”

“More out of embarrassment.” She mumbled. “Everything we promised Miss Joohyun wouldn’t happen, happened. This is fucking embarrassing, Joy.”

“Hey, she’s the one who rushed their training, not us.”

“You know what-” Wendy stopped when a distant sound caught her attention. It was faint, hardly audible, but it drew closer. She held her binoculars up to see something turning the corner. The sound of whistling grew louder. The train finally arrived.

“They made it back!” She grabbed Joy’s wrist and pulled her to her feet. They ran to the tracks with a dozen guards following behind them, waving to the windows.

“I don’t see anyone inside. Why do they have all the lights off?”

The train came to a stop. The doors seemed to open on their own. A gust of wind struck their faces. Joy stepped on first, heels tapping against the steps.

“Ugh!”

“What?” Wendy asked.

“My shoes!”

A soldier shone his flashlight down the aisle. Blood glistened in the light, ran up the walls, covered every window. Joy stepped down to wipe her heels in the sand as Wendy continued into the next car, seeing the same mess in every seat.

Corpses. Ripped apart, missing limbs, sitting in their own blood. Most appeared to be women and children. No survivors. Wendy stepped over a decapitated head and slipped into car C.

“What a fucking nightmare.” She called out to the guards in car B.

“A nightmare to clean.” Joy called back. She stepped onto the train again, replacing her heels with boots that didn’t fit her right. “I’m not dealing with this mess, I’ll tell you that.”

“I miss the days when ËXØ fucked around with dead cows and played chess.”

“Such a simpler time.”

“Well, we have to do something about this.” She gestured to a body nearby.

“I say we leave it to EXO. They can crawl out of their holes and deal with this themselves.”

“You mean deal with the mess we made?”

Joy chuckled. “Yes, well it’s beyond our power. Leave it up to our enemies to kill our lap dogs. Never thought I’d want EXO to come out of hiding.”

“It’s comical, really.” Wendy put her hands on her hips and sighed. “We should get out of Korea for a while. A nice meal at NEO Zone sounds pretty good right about now.”

“I’ve only been saying this since we got here.”

They hopped off the train and wiped blood from their boots. “Everyone!” Wendy shouted. “Onto the planes. We’re heading back to NEO Zone. Korea is EXO’s problem now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We stan unbothered women who cause the apocalypse


	3. Chapter: 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> EXO's beachside home

_Mokpo, South Korea_

_El Dorado (Beachside Villa)_

_March 30th_

_14:12_

The once beautiful and humble city of Mokpo, South Korea now sat in ash and sand. Shells of buildings lined the empty streets, rundown cars sat on sidewalks, houses were left abandoned. Rats infested every crevice of any old structure they could wriggle their way into, and cockroaches the size of stones scurried along the asphalt.

Tattered blankets replaced windows. The trunks of cars posed as makeshift beds for whoever remained in the city. Cans of food and bottles of water were stored in basements, where the sun’s harsh rays wouldn’t spoil them too soon. 

Chickens ran rampant. No one knew where they came from, but they made good use of them. Eggs for breakfast, chicken for lunch, chicken for dinner. With so little living souls left in Mokpo, the competition ran scarce.

293 miles west of the city sat a beachside villa, directly on the coast. It once belonged to one of the richest families in Korea, before the occupants were driven from their homes and forced to march to Seoul to catch the train to Incheon.

The family never made it to Seoul and never returned to Mokpo, leaving the 6,000 square foot mansion abandoned for scavengers.

But, no scavengers traveled that far out. Most partook in the exodus to Seoul despite the minimal chance of survival, and the rest remained in the city to wait for their saviors.

It was said EXO would return. Return to rescue them, to stop the monsters that haunted their dreams, that crept through the darkness and snatched bodies left and right. The train to Incheon stopped coming, and the remaining survivors turned to prayer for comfort.

They wrote stories about them, dedicated walls of graffiti to concept art. No one knew what they looked like, so they drew them as larger-than-life beings. Gods. Bathed in light and reaching down to take the dirty and bruised hands of their followers.

They made shrines, left gifts. On certain days they dedicated a portion of their rations, leaving dead chickens that eventually went to the rats.

They prayed at night. They prayed first thing when they woke up. They sang to the heavens, begging for a sign. A sign that EXO would return to save them all.

293 miles west of the city, those “Gods” stumbled upon El Dorado, the abandoned beachside villa. It was a perfect spot; far away from the city, hidden behind a mountain range, large enough to accommodate for six people. The name seemed fitting too. A hidden paradise home to legends and yet to be found by any scavengers.

And instead of descending from the heavens to save the world from their evil counterparts, they chased chickens around an empty swimming pool.

⬣⬣⬣

“Look at that. What a fatass.”

The mighty gods of fire and lightning (preferably Chanyeol and Chen) sat on the edge of the pool, gnawing on stale bread. A chicken jumped up on the walls and scratched at the cement, fighting against gravity to reach the top. It’s broken wings fluttered helplessly as it struggled to carry its own weight.

“Just kill it already.”

“Last time I killed one, you guys complained about it being too overcooked. You kill it.”

“No. I don’t want to risk blowing it up again. Here, use a knife.”

Chanyeol pushed the blade back towards him. “No. I got chicken guts all over my shirt last time. You do it.”

“I don’t want to. It’s gross.”

“Fine. We’ll rock paper scissors for it.”

On the count of three they threw one hand up, Chen’s balled in a fist and Chanyeol holding up two fingers.

“Looks like I won.”

“Come on, Chen. You know I can’t catch chickens for shit.”

“I know and I’ll have a great time watching you try.” He patted Chanyeol on the shoulder, prompting him to jump down into the pool.

The chicken sprinted to the deep end upon hearing heavy boots land on the cement, jumping like mad in a desperate attempt to escape. Chanyeol crept up from behind with the knife in hand, standing on the balls of his feet to minimize the amount of sound he produced.

Slowly, he inched forward, crouching slightly. One hand extended to reach for the neck, the other clutched the blade.

“Stay still, stay still…” He muttered to himself.

The chicken shrieked as a hand wrapped around its throat. Its talons sliced at exposed skin, spilling blood into a puddle of murky water.

“Fuck!”

“Get its feet, you idiot!” Chen yelled.

The stupid bird squirmed out of his grip and half flew, half ran to the opposite wall. Chanyeol chased after it, swinging his knife through the air like a maniac.

“Don’t let it get away!”

“Why don’t you get your ass down here and help me then?!”

Chen slid down the steep walls of the pool, landing directly in front of the chicken. He lunged forward to grab it, but it fluttered away just in time to avoid his grasp.

“You idiot! It can’t even fly; how hard is it to catch?!”

“I don’t see you doing any better!”

Broken wings beat against the breeze as the bird ascended the walls. Chen grabbed it by the tail and threw it to the floor in hopes that the impact would be enough to break a few bones.

“Hurry up and kill it!”

Chanyeol dropped to his knees with the knife held over his head. Just as the blade came down on his prey, it jumped to its feet and scurried between Chen’s legs. Chanyeol dove for it, but banged his head on Chen’s knee and brought them both to the floor.

“You know you really suck at this.”

“There it goes!”

The chicken jumped up on the wall again, digging its talons into cracks in the cement for support. Chen jumped to his feet, snatched the knife from his comrade, and ran after it.

The chicken came so close to reaching the top, but it's broken wings couldn’t carry it any further. A thin blade glided across the pool, cutting through the air with pinpoint accuracy. It struck the bird directly in the chest, bringing its lifeless body to the floor. Chen pulled the saber out of its flesh and looked up to determine where it came from.

“I had that.”

“It didn’t look like it.”

Their sword wielding comrade crouched down at the edge of the pool and reached a hand down. Chen returned the saber to him as Chanyeol grabbed their next meal by the tail and held it away from his body to avoid blood dripping on his boots.

“Baekhyun, if you’re just going to take all of our kills, you might as well hunt yourself.” Chen said as he took the older’s hand and allowed him to pull him up.

“I happened to pass by when I saw you two running around like headless chickens.” He chuckled. “How hard is it to kill a flightless bird?”

“How hard is it not to show off?”

“I’m not showing off. I’m trying to help.” He pulled Chanyeol up the wall. “Why don’t you take that to Suho. I’ll take Chanyeol to the infirmary.”

“Can I tell him I killed it?”

He laughed. “Sure.”

Chen took the corpse from Chanyeol’s hand and marched past the cliff that overlooked the ocean. He took a left where an old staircase sat, leading up to a series of empty rooms once used as a cinema and a gym.

He dropped the bloody chicken on the floor, directly at his leader’s feet. The sound of splattering blood hardly registered in his brain, seeing as how preoccupied he was with filling canteens.

“There’s dinner.” Chen said after clearing his throat to get Suho’s attention. “Flightless birds really aren’t hard to kill.”

“Great. Tell Baekhyun I said thank you.” He looked up from his canteen momentarily with a smirk.

“You should have seen Chanyeol. I’ll tell you, that idiot can’t even hold a knife right. He shares a room with our best fighter and he can’t even kill a chicken.”

“And neither can you.”

“Yeah, but-” He scoffed. “I got close. Baekhyun’s just a show off, that’s all.”

“It worries me, Jongdae-” He set his canteen aside to fill another. His fingers pressed against the open cap, producing water from his palm. “How imcopentent you are in battle. All of you, really.”

“Why worry? Our only enemies out here are injured chickens.”

“You know why I worry, Jongdae. We can’t hide here forever. We can’t keep running away from our problems.” He went quiet for a moment, screwing a cap off the next canteen. “They’re counting on us, you know. The train to Incheon stopped coming.”

“How do you know?”

“Kai saw it himself. He saw the ones they left behind. He found survivors. The train never came back for them and it hasn’t come back since.”

“So, what are we supposed to do?”

He shrugged. “Kai and I have been talking about solutions. He considered going to Incheon to locate the last train, but we’re not sure if it’s safe.”

“Can’t he take Baekhyun?”

“It’s a long distance to travel. I don’t think Baekhyun will be able to handle such a large jump.”

Chen turned to his left, staring out the glassless window. The waves were especially violent that day, crashing against the shore with thunderous claps. Moisture filled the air and Chen could taste salt as he inhaled the scent of seaweed.

“You stress too much, Junmyeon. Relax a little, will you?”

He smiled weakly. “Perhaps dinner will make me feel better. Tell Sehun to cook tonight. I’m not feeling up to it.”

Chen grabbed the corpse off the floor and turned towards the door. “I’ll call you down when it’s ready.”

⬣⬣⬣

At the foot of the coast, where the house met the sand, a piece of tinfoil sat on a rock, serving as a makeshift grill. Kai plucked the chicken clean and sliced the meat into strips, then laid them on the tinfoil for Sehun to cook.

The youngest squatted beside the grill, striking rocks together in an attempt to make fire. Chen and Kai stood back to watch, seeing their wind wielding comrade grow more frustrated with every useless spark.

“Fuck, where’s Chanyeol? This isn’t working.” He complained.

“He’s in the infirmary.”

“What happened?” Kai asked.

“Had a little scuffle with that chicken. He really doesn’t know how to use a knife properly.”

“But, you must be getting better if you killed it all on your own.”

“Right, of course.”

Sehun struck the rocks together again, creating a spark large enough to set fire to the dried shrubbery sitting beneath the tinfoil. A cloud of smoke rose up to his nose and he jumped to his feet with a smile.

“Didn’t need Chanyeol anyways.”

The wind died down, filling the salty air around them with the sound of beating waves. Kai stood up on a rock to watch the foamy water crash against jagged rocks.

“It’s low tide.” He commented. “It should be, at least.”

“We should’ve moved back. The water’s getting close.” Chen said.

“Or, you can just talk to Suho.” Sehun suggested.

They looked up to the second floor window where Suho spent most of his time filling canteens. From where he stood, Kai could see the side of his face and the lines forming on his forehead.

“It’s because of the train.” He said. “The train to Incheon stopped coming.”

“He told me. He also said you were thinking about going to Incheon to track the last train.”

Kai sighed, stepping down from the rock. “I can’t go alone. And Baekhyun probably won’t be able to make the trip.”

“So, what are you going to do then?” Sehun asked as he poked the raw meat with a stick.

“We’re not sure yet. But, we’ll figure something out. Eventually.”

Salt water sprayed their faces as the waves crept closer. Chen and Kai moved further up the shore to avoid getting their boots wet while Sehun was stuck standing in ankle high water to finish cooking the chicken.

Wind whipped through the open windows, disturbing Suho’s concentration. He set his canteen aside and poked his head out to see his comrades splashing through a miniature flood.

The water retracted and the waves died down. Sehun looked up to the window to wave to his leader. “Dinner’s almost ready.” He announced, forcing a smile to hide his discomfort caused by his wet socks.

“Did you burn it?” Suho called back.

“No. Why?”

“It smells burned.”

Sehun directed the wind towards him, getting a whiff of smoke. “It’s coming from over there.” He pointed across the courtyard.

“Look. There’s smoke.”

“It’s coming from the infirmary.”

They looked to one another. “Typical.”

⬣⬣⬣

“Babe, stay still.”

Baekhyun wrestled with Chanyeol’s arm, fighting to keep it in place as he pricked his skin with a needle. The muscles in his arms tensed, tightening around Baekhyun’s waist.

“You’re strangling me.”

“Well, you’re trying to stab me with needles!”

“I need to stitch it up. Here-” He stuck a cloth in his mouth. “Bite on this. This shouldn’t hurt that much, but since you’re a big baby-”

“Just get it over with.” He said through gritted teeth.

Baekhyun stuck the needle in again, pushing it through his skin and weaving a string through the wound on his wrist. Chanyeol flinched, accidentally pushing Baekhyun off his lap.

“Chanyeol, please.”

He spit the cloth out. “I’m trying! You need to be more gentle!”

“I’m being as gentle as possible. You need to stop moving so much.” He sat down on his knee again and continued pricking him with the needle.

Chanyeol didn’t want to watch, but his morbid curiosity prompted him to pry his eyelids apart and watch the needle move in and out of his skin. The string pulled the open flesh together and the sight made his head spin.

“Baekhyun, stop. I think I’m gonna be sick.”

“I’m almost done.”

“No. I need air. Just give me a minute.”

“Calm down. You’re only making things worse by stressing yourself out.” He tugged at the string to bring the cut closed and Chanyeol nearly barfed right into his lap.

“Now, for the other wrist.”

“I don’t think I can do this anymore.”

“Then, maybe you should be more careful. Now, sit still.”

The process repeated, bringing a sickening feeling to Chanyeol’s stomach. His head lolled to the side, avoiding the sight of the needle moving in and out of his wrist.

“Babe, you’re heating up. Relax before you set this whole build-” Before he could finish his sentence, Chanyeol’s arm burst into flames. Baekhyun tore his hands away from his wrist as he fell back, landing hard on the concrete.

Chanyeol stood up to shake his arm off, only to realize the needle still dangling from his wrist. His stomach did somersaults, resulting in his breakfast coming up on Baekhyun’s boots.

“Chanyeol!” He shouted as he jumped to his feet and wiped vomit onto the floor. He yanked his scout jacket off and smacked it against Chanyeol’s arm, creating clouds of black smoke and filling his lungs.

The smoke caught the attention of the others and Kai teleported inside to watch the commotion unfold.

“What happened?!”

Baekhyun didn’t answer, preoccupied with smothering the fire spreading from Chanyeol’s arm to his torso. Kai grabbed a canteen off the supplies tray and dumped it on his comrade’s back, but it did no good.

To make matters worse, the needle snagged onto Baekhyun’s jacket. When he swung it again, the needle was yanked from Chanyeol’s wrist and ripped his wound open more. His body responded by creating another explosion of fire, leaving scorch marks on Baekhyun’s hands.

He dropped to his knees, covering his nose and mouth with the sleeve of his burnt jacket. He crawled towards a window in search of air to breath, but every corner of the room filled with suffocating smoke.

Kai called out to him, but couldn’t see through the thick blackness. All he saw was Chanyeol in the midst of it all, flinging his limbs around as he fought against his body’s own response to pain.

Just then, a wave of water came crashing through the door frame, flooding the floor. It rose to the height of a man, roaring with the sounds of the ocean it came from. Then, it washed over Chanyeol, bringing him to his knees.

Sehun carried the smoke out the window with a gentle breeze, allowing them to see again. Baekhyun sucked in a sharp breath of air, his lungs in pain from inhaling both smoke and water.

Suho watched from the doorway, pinching the bridge of his nose. “It has come to my attention-” He sighed to himself. “That you boys are in need of a little more training.”

⬣⬣⬣

Baekhyun rose with the sun, creeping out of his room so as not to wake Chanyeol sleeping beside him. He threw his scout jacket on, stuck his saber in it’s holster, and applied fresh bandages to his burned hands before marching up to the roof.

He sat on the ledge with a canteen of water, watching the waves increase in intensity. Suho must’ve been waking up, and the others would soon follow. He had training exercises already planned for them, waking up extra early to prepare.

The sound of ruffling sheets resonated from the window below. Chanyeol wrapped himself in a blanket and stuck his head out, looking up at a pair of legs dangling over the edge.

“Hey.” He called out.

Baekhyun looked down with a smile. “Good morning. How are your wrists?”

Chanyeol held his bandaged wrists out for him to see. “Fine. How are your hands?”

“They’re okay.” He pushed himself to his feet and paced along the thin edge of the building with ease. “Are you ready for training?”

“I don’t know; are you gonna be easy on us?”

“It’s only the first day. I won’t make you do anything extreme.”

Chanyeol would come to realize that their definitions of extreme were vastly different. When the others woke, Baekhyun rounded them all up and forced them outside. They stood before him with sleep in their eyes, slouching and yawning every few seconds.

Baekhyun ordered them to hike down to the shore. They tied their boots on and followed him beyond the jagged rocks, stopping at the edge of the water.

“We’ll start with a run. Nothing extreme.”

They broke into a jog, taking it easy as their bodies slowly woke up. Baekhyun let it slide for maybe five minutes, before he deemed their pace too slow and whipped them in the back of the legs with his saber.

Their calves ached and their muscles burned. Running through the sand proved more difficult than expected, especially in heavy boots. Sehun stayed ahead of them all, sending gusts of wind through his nostrils to help him breathe easier.

Meanwhile, Chen and Chanyeol trailed behind, panting like hot dogs and leaning on each other for support. Kai ran a few feet in front of them, keeping his head held high and fighting through the pain.

Suho kept close to the front as well, occasionally spraying himself with mist to cool down. Chen and Chanyeol stopped to splash water on themselves too, earning another whack from Baekhyun’s saber.

“This is torture.” Chen whined, gasping for air.

“Tell me about it. I thought this was going to be easy.”

“Stop talking.” Baekhyun demanded. “You’re falling behind.”

“What the fuck is the point of this?” Chen continued when he had his back turned. “We haven’t had any trouble out here. No one even knows we’re alive.”

“I guess it’s a safety precaution.” Chanyeol stopped to catch his breath. “Oh man, I think I’m overheating. My head is pounding.” He put a finger under his nose, feeling blood dripping from his nostrils.

“Come on. Let’s take a dip while Baekhyun isn’t looking.”

They tore their boots off and jumped into the water. The waves were calm up until that point, suddenly crashing down on them as soon as they left the beach.

“Shit! Is he trying to drown us?!” Chen yelled as the waves spit them back out onto the sand. Baekhyun hovered over them with their boots in hand, then dropped them on their chests.

“Keep up, will you?”

To avoid the heat, Chen created big grey clouds in the sky to block out the sun. He pulled his boots back on and broke into a jog again, leaving Chanyeol helplessly sprawled out on the floor.

“Ah, babe-” He panted. “I’m done for. I can’t go any further.”

“Get up.” Baekhyun smacked his foot with his saber. “This is just the warm-up.”

Once they finished the warm-up, they regrouped at their starting point, their heads hung low and their hands on their knees. Baekhyun shook his head at the sight, then smacked Chanyeol in the ass with his saber.

“You can all drop and give me twenty for that pathetic effort.”

“What?” Sehun whined. “Why do I have to? I ran the whole distance.”

“Because I said so. I’ll make you do even more if you keep complaining.”

They reluctantly got down on their hands and lowered themselves into a pushup. For the first ten or so, Baekhyun heard no complaints, but by the eleventh, Chanyeol gave in.

“My wrists hurt. I think I’ve done enough.”

Baekhyun whacked him again. “If you’re not bleeding, then you’re fine. Now, give me twenty more for being difficult.”

They waited an extra thirty minutes for Chanyeol to finish. They stood around him, snickering to themselves, watching as their comrade struggled to lift himself off the ground. Once he completed his last one, he collapsed in the sand and rolled over on his back.

“Is that it for today?”

“No. We just started.”

Next, Baekhyun led them to the opposite side of the beach where he set up target practice. A tray of knives sat on a rock, each varying in size and sharpness. Baekhyun picked up the smallest and turned it over in his bandaged hand.

“Always test the weight. If it’s lighter such as this one, you don’t want to put too much strength into it or else you won’t be able to control your throw.” He pressed his thumb against the point. “Sharp enough to open the skin. This is a good one.”

He put his right foot back. “Your stance is important. You want to follow your arm. Wherever you’re facing is wherever the knife will go, so always face your target. Pull your arm back, bring it over, and follow through to avoid an arch in your throw.” He launched the knife through the air, hitting the target dead center.

“Who wants to try first?”

No one spoke up.

“Fine, I’ll choose.” He pointed the end of his saber at Chanyeol’s chest. “Grab a knife.”

Chen and Sehun snickered as Chanyeol stepped forward with a sigh and examined the array of weapons. “Which one do I use?”

“Well, considering your size and strength, I’d say a smaller one isn’t for you. You probably don’t have much control over how much strength you put into your throw yet.” He handed him a long dagger. “Try this. It might be too light, but I think the size suits you well.”

Chanyeol positioned his feet accordingly and pulled his arm back. Then, he swung it forward, releasing the dagger too early. The blade soared over the target, landing in a bush further up the shore.

“That...needs work.” Baekhyun said. “You might need a knife with more weight.”

“What about your saber?” Chen suggested. “It’s the biggest thing you’ve got.”

“Oh no. You wouldn’t know how to use this.” He laughed.

“Aww, let him try. I want to see how well he can do.” Sehun said, smirking.

Baekhyun pulled the sword out and examined the blade. “It’s lighter than you think. It also requires lots of wrist control. The weight isn’t evenly distributed, meaning the handle weighs more than the blade. If you put too much strength in your swing, you’ll take out more than your opponent. But, I can show you how to use it.”

Chanyeol wanted to decline the offer, but Baekhyun shoved the handle in his hand before he could speak. He pressed his back against Chanyeol’s chest and grabbed his wrist to help him guide the saber.

“It’s all about balance. Not too gentle, not too aggressive.” He stepped back with his right foot, forcing Chanyeol to do the same. “You’re too tense. Loosen up. Let the blade glide on it’s own.”

Sehun, Chen, and Kai were cracking up, enjoying every second of Chanyeol struggling to keep up. Every time he followed Baekhyun’s movements, he stumbled forward, nearly knocking the shorter off his feet.

Suho didn’t find it nearly as funny. He anxiously rubbed his hands together, feeling moisture building up in the air. The waves crept up the beach, coming closer to their feet than it should’ve at that time of the day.

“Don’t you think we should move on?” He interrupted. Baekhyun was so absorbed in his saber’s movements, he didn’t hear the question. Chanyeol tried to pull away, but the shorter’s grip was surprisingly tight.

“Baekhyun.” Suho said, raising his voice.

Baekhyun opened his eyes and let the saber drop to his side.

“We should move on. We’re supposed to be training.”

Baekhyun noticed the water levels rising at an alarming rate and pushed Chanyeol back into line. “Kai, you’re next. I think a bigger knife will suit you better too.”

After target practice, Baekhyun took them up to the cliffs to work on hand to hand combat. They were each assigned a partner; Sehun with Kai, Chen with Suho, and unfortunately Chanyeol with his pain in the ass boyfriend again.

Being partners with the trainer, Chanyeol was also dragged into demonstrations. “Don’t you think I should be paired with someone more my size?” He said.

“Size is irrelevant unless you use it to your advantage.” Baekhyun tossed his saber aside. “Now, hit me.”

He turned to the others in a panic. They simply shrugged.

“Put that size to good use, Chanyeol. You can surely take down someone smaller than you.” He raised his fists. “Come on, hit me.”

Chanyeol sighed to himself, then stepped closer. He danced from one foot to the other, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Baekhyun followed his movements, shifting his weight effortlessly as if he weighed no more than a feather.

A fist swung through the air and Baekhyun dodged it with ease. He snatched Chanyeol’s wrist, twisted his arm back, and swept his leg under the taller’s feet, knocking him onto his ass.

“You’re slow. Not very graceful on your feet either.” He turned to the others. “Fighting is similar to using a saber. You need balance. Your energy comes from your legs and it travels through your whole body. All _your_ strength comes from here.” He gripped Chanyeol’s shoulder with painful tightness.

“If you don’t build that energy from the bottom up, your opponent will be able to predict your every move, as you so wonderfully demonstrated for us.”

Chanyeol rolled his eyes as he got to his feet.

“Give it another try.” He raised his fists again.

Chanyeol walked circles around him, keeping his fists tight and his legs steady. Baekhyun mimicked him with much more grace, seemingly more relaxed.

Chanyeol swung his arm again and Baekhyun side stepped, resulting in the taller falling face first in the dirt.

“Thank you for demonstrating what not to do. If you were paying attention, you would notice how Chanyeol’s wind up is all in the upper body, which is why you can see the hit coming long before he throws the first punch.”

Chanyeol pushed himself up. “Why don’t you show us how it’s supposed to look then.”

He regretted asking. As soon as the words left his mouth, Baekhyun’s boot came in contact with his ear, knocking him off his feet for the third time. He jumped up and threw another punch in a vain attempt to defend himself.

Baekhyun stepped up on his knee, wrapped both legs around his neck, and rolled forward, pulling him down with him. Chanyeol flipped over him, landing painfully on his back. In the blink of an eye, Baekhyun rose to his feet and pushed a boot down on his opponent’s throat, preventing him from getting up.

“Your power-” He pressed down harder on Chanyeol’s throat, forcing his head back. “Comes from your legs.”

“I wanna try.” Chen said. “Come on, Suho.”

Baekhyun pulled Chanyeol to his feet and stepped aside for the next duo. Suho and Chen replicated the way Baekhyun stood with his fists up and feet spread apart. Suho loosened up his shoulders and took in a breath of salty air.

Chen watched his opponent’s footing, anticipating his first move. He saw Suho step forward, and in response struck him directly in the nose. Suho’s head jerked back, blood dripping down his face.

“Oh shit!” Chen dropped by his side. “I’m so sorry! You okay?”

Baekhyun crouched down and moved his hands away from his nose. “Your reaction time isn’t very fast. Keep your fists up to avoid blows to the face.”

“I didn’t see it coming.”

“You’re distracted.” He turned to the others. “Head down to the beach for our next lesson. I’ll meet you there.”

The others marched down to the edge of the water, leaving Suho bleeding in the grass and Baekhyun by his side. He pulled his leader to his feet and wiped his face with the sleeve of his scout jacket.

“We won’t be doing any more fighting today, are we?” Suho asked as he held his nose.

“No. Our last lesson is meditation, which will do you good. You’re stressed; I can tell.”

Baekhyun stuck torn cloth up his nostrils to stop the bleeding, then took him down to the beach for their last lesson of the day. He instructed each of them to sit apart from each other, criss cross, and close their eyes.

“It helps to calm your mind if you want to use your powers without risk of destruction.” His eyes flickered to Chanyeol. “The lesson I’ve been trying to teach you all day is control. Control over your own body, your mind. Your powers react to its environment. Don’t fight it. Learn to control it.”

Suho sat closest to the water, listening to the flow of the current to ease his mind. He heard the fizzle of foam on the shore, the fins of fish beating against the water, rocks tumbling along the ocean floor. He felt droplets in the air against his skin, making the hairs on his neck stand up.

Baekhyun opened one eye to watch the ocean die down. The tide rolled back to its original position. The humidity clouding his head dissipated. But, as the moisture went away, the temperature rose, more so than it normally did.

He looked up to see Chen maintained a cloudy sky, and not a beam of sunlight shone down on them. He turned to Chanyeol, who’s long legs couldn’t find a comfortable position to rest in.

“Lay down.” He suggested. “That might help.”

Chanyeol lied back in the sand, his head closer to Chen’s hand than he realized. The pink mop of hair on his head stood up from the static, like someone rubbed a balloon on his scalp.

A breeze swept around them, kicking up sand and stinging Baekhyun’s eyes. He closed them again, focusing on his own meditation instead.

That night, Suho stayed on the beach as the others went to bed to get in a few more hours of meditation. He sat in the sand with his knees to his chest, watching the full moon reflecting off the still water.

He lifted a hand and a ball of water copied his movements, rising above the surface. He spun it around until it grew as big as his fist, then dropped it back into the water with a splash. Ripples disrupted the stillness and stretched out until it reached his feet.

The sound of his comrade glitching into existence filled his ears. Kai sat down beside him, his pants rolled up to his knees and his feet bare.

“It’s late. Why aren’t you in bed?”

Suho shrugged. “Why aren’t you?”

“The ocean looked so still. I was curious to know why.” He nudged his leader. “Meditation must’ve helped.”

“For now.” He spun his finger around to create another ball of water. “The train to Incheon stopped, Kai, and we haven’t done anything about it.”

Kai nodded, watching the ball of water drop into the ocean. “How’s your nose?”

“Fine.”

“That’s good. I think Baekhyun’s a pretty good teacher. He’s strict, but he’s good. We’ll be ready for Incheon in no time.”

“What do you think we’ll find there?”

“In Incheon?”

“Yeah.”

He shrugged. “The train, hopefully.”

“And what about…” He didn’t need to finish for Kai to know what he was referring to.

“Baekhyun’s training us well. We can take them.”

“Lay thought the same thing. And Xiumin. And Kyungsoo.”

Kai turned his body to face him. “Hey, don’t think like that. We’ll be okay. We’ll make it to Incheon. I know it.”

Suho let out a deep sigh, taking in the sight of the moon’s reflection one last time for the night before rising to his feet and heading back to his room. Kai watched him walk up to El Dorado’s front doors, before teleporting back to his own room to rest up for another day of training.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The husband jumped out and we live for it


	4. Chapter: 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai tests his powers

_ Mokpo, South Korea _

_ El Dorado _

_ April 1st _

_ 06:20 _

The warmth from the sun kissed Suho’s skin through his open window, pulling him from a deep sleep. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes and reached his arms up to release the tightness in his shoulders.

The sound of boots stomping against the concrete echoed off dusty walls. Suho leaned over the window pane to see a head of pink hair beyond the bushes. His comrade had a saber in his hand, swinging it wildly at a chicken with a missing wing.

Suho laughed to himself as Chanyeol chased the bird around El Dorado’s courtyard, tripping over rocks and stumbling into bushes.

He jumped up on the empty fountain with the saber held over his head, intent on attacking the chicken from above. Unfortunately, the creature squeezed between a crack in the wall and disappeared in what was once a living room.

The pink head of hair looked up to the second floor when he heard clapping. Heat rose in his face when he realized his audience.

“Aren’t flightless birds supposed to be easy to kill?” Suho asked, smiling.

“Ah, yeah...I meant to let that go. I wouldn’t want Chen to feel bad for being the only one who can’t catch a chicken.”

“Right.” He propped himself up onto the window pane and pressed his back against the wall. “Does Baekhyun know you have his saber?”

“Would I still be holding it if he did?” He tucked the sword into its holster and pulled his beret over his messy hair. “It’s a cool weapon, don’t you think?”

“I’d like to know how to use it.”

“Maybe Baekhyun can teach us during training today. By the way; how’s your nose? Looks a little swollen from here.”

Suho touched the bandage between his eyes. “It's sore, but I’ll live.”

The flapping of a wing pulled Chanyeol’s attention towards the crack in the wall and he whipped the saber out again.

“I’m catching breakfast today. You just watch.”

The chicken scurried into the courtyard, running in between Chanyeol’s legs and pathetically flapping up to the fountain. With all his might, Chanyeol swung the blade at its head and the handle flew from his hand. It skidded across the floor, scaring away breakfast.

“What did Baekhyun say? If you put too much strength into it, you’ll take out more than your opponent.”  
“Well, I didn’t.” Chanyeol pointed out. “Didn’t even lose a finger.”

“Chanyeol!” A voice bellowed from across the courtyard.

“No, but it sounds like you might lose your head.”

Chanyeol leapt over the fountain to fetch the saber, unhitching the holster from his belt. Just as Baekhyun stormed out of the building with a blanket around his shoulders and his lids heavy with sleep, Chanyeol dropped to his knees and held the weapon up as an offering.

“Before you get mad, I want you to know that not only was I trying to catch breakfast, but I was also getting extra training in. So, I wasn’t really doing anything wrong.”

Baekhyun snatched the saber from his hands. “You want extra training? Babe, all you had to do was ask.” He poked him in the side. “You can stay an extra two hours after the others finish up for some one on one.”

Chanyeol looked up to Suho with a frown. His leader only laughed in response.

⬣⬣⬣

They discussed the train to Incheon over breakfast. Kai caught a chicken (not because Chanyeol and Chen couldn’t, really) and diced the meat as the others picked at stale bread.

“What if you took pit stops?” Sehun suggested, his cheeks full of food. “Instead of Kai and Baekhyun jumping the entire distance, you teleport to little stops until you reach Incheon.”

“How long will that take?” Chen asked, directing the question at Kai.

“Depends how frequently we jump. If we want to avoid any injuries, we’ll have to take breaks between each jump.”

“How much distance can you cover?” Chanyeol asked, one arm wrapped around Baekhyun’s shoulders.

“I can cover a few miles, maybe. It really depends on the person jumping with me. The effects will vary.”

“We can test it.” Suho suggested. “Try jumping until Baekhyun can’t go any further.”

“That doesn’t sound very safe.”

“What would happen anyways?” Sehun butted in. “Would you say a big jump is-like-life threatening?”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe? We need a definite answer if anyone’s going to be traveling with you.” Chen said.

“I can’t guarantee anything. Like I said; the effects will vary. I know from experience that he’ll at least get sick.”

“But, it could be worse?”

“Yes, it could be worse.”

“I’m willing to give it a try.” Baekhyun spoke for the first time since the start of breakfast. “We could test it out after we finish eating.”

“What if you get hurt?” Chanyeol asked. “Can’t we test it on another object first? An animal or something?”

“Don’t suppose you have a live chicken on you, do you?” Sehun snorted.

“It probably won’t have the same effect.” Kai continued. “A chicken’s….a chicken. It’s nothing like jumping with an entire being.”

“Well, how do you know?”

“I already told you the effects will vary. Whatever happens to a chicken isn’t going to tell us shit about what’s going to happen to Baekhyun, genius.”

“Hey, I’m just trying to look for alternatives so we don’t get somebody killed, okay? Unless you want to go to Incheon alone.”

“That’s not an option.” Suho said.

“We don’t have alternatives. If I’m taking Baekhyun, I need to know how far  _ he  _ can travel, not a damn bird.”

“I mean, Chanyeol’s got a point.” Chen said.

“Thank you.”

“The effects on the chicken may not be accurate for us, but it could give us an idea of our limits.”

“Now you’re just assuming things. We have no idea if that’s true or not.”

“Well, we kinda have no choice but to assume things. Trial and error is our only option right now.”

“There’s no room for error when we’re talking about Baekhyun’s life.” Chanyeol added.

“So, what’s the plan then? Make Kai teleport around with a live chicken until it dies and then try our best not to kill Baekhyun in the same fashion? Honestly, this whole plan sounds stupid.” Sehun scoffed. “Why can’t we steal a car or something?”

“There’s no gas, dispshit.” Chen smacked him in the back of the head. “I doubt any of them work anyways.”

“I say we come up with a different plan.”

“What do you suggest then, Chanyeol?”

“I don’t know, but something less dangerous.”

“Well, that’s offly helpful.”

“I don’t hear you coming up with anything useful.”

“I don’t think anyone has come up with anything useful.”

“Well, why don’t you contribute something then?”

“I’ve got nothing.”

“Huh, of course not.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“What are we even arguing about at this point?”

“Does anybody have any ideas that we can all agree on?”

“Hey!” Baekhyun yelled, slamming his fist down on their rickety table. “It’s my decision, isn’t it? I’m the one going with him, so I’ll say how far I’m willing to travel.”

Kai slid cooked chicken onto a tray and set it in the center of the table. “Alright then, we’ll try after breakfast. If anyone objects, too bad.”

⬣⬣⬣

Baekhyun ordered the boys to run laps around the beach while he and Kai went out to the desert beyond El Dorado to run a few tests. The last time Kai jumped with another being was over a year ago, back in Canada.

How the information reached their ears, they could no longer remember, but somehow they discovered NEO Zone was located in Vancouver. They took a plane across the seas early in the morning, before the moon dipped below the horizon.

There were nine of them then. They arrived in Vancouver wearing heavy fur coats, hats that sat too low on their heads, sunglasses to conceal their eyes. Anyone who came face to face with EXO described them as having a  _ look  _ that made them feel alien. Something about it didn’t appear human.

Red Force used to ask about it all the time, back when they were naive and ambitious. The accounts couldn’t put into words why paranoia festered in their minds as soon as they locked eyes with these men, but every one of them mentioned it.

In Vancouver, funny looks shot their way, perhaps from the way they carried themselves. Even when they covered up their inhuman gazes, people found something strange about them. The way they walked in sync, their unnatural posture. Even their aura couldn’t be explained.

They carried on, feeling eyes burning through their skulls, quickening the pace to exit the airport faster. NEO Zone sat at the foot of a mountain; hard to reach and nearly invisible to passerbys.

They traveled in pairs as a safety precaution. Kai went with Kyungsoo. They were passing through an old gas station late at night when something glitched out of thin air. Kyungsoo turned back to see where his comrade jumped to, only to realize he never left his side.

They messaged for the others via walkie-talkie and received no response in return. Something watched them from atop the building, creeping through the darkness with the swiftness of a snake.

One eye glowed against the pitch black of the night. There was no color to it, only black and white. Without second thought, Kai grabbed Kyungsoo’s hand and teleported into the shopping mall across the street, sending his comrade’s head into a fit of dizziness.

They jumped roughly thirty feet. Baekhyun suggested fifty. Kai declined, thinking they should start small and work up from there.

Sand swirled around their ankles, turning their black boots a dusty brown. Lizards scurried past their feet as they marched through the heat. The temperature skyrocketed that day, but Baekhyun couldn’t blame Chanyeol for being so worried.

“Are you ready?” Kai asked, wrapping one arm around his comrade’s waist.

“I supposed.” Baekhyun swallowed dryly.

Pebbles sitting beside their boots rumbled as if the entire ground shook. Kai closed his eyes with a deep breath, feeling the air around him change direction. White lights flashed behind his eyelids, until the world around him fell away to blankness.

He opened his eyes to nothing. The jump seemed to last forever, but that time translated to a fraction of a second in reality. The space between here and there filled with a sound Kai had never heard before, a low whine of some sort.

His head seemed to turn in slow motion as he looked over at Baekhyun. His comrade’s neck snapped back, slowly craning back and jerking forward.

Then, speed returned back to normal and the two landed ten feet from their original position. The motion of Baekhyun’s head carried over, causing his head to shoot back and knocking him onto his back.

Kai dropped to his side. “Are you okay? How do you feel?”

“I feel like someone just punched me in the face.”

“That was only ten feet.”

“Then, let’s try twenty.”

They kept at it for the rest of the morning, and every time they found different ground beneath their feet, Baekhyun wound up getting whiplashed so hard, it felt his neck would snap soon.

By fifty feet, he was unconscious.

“Shit.” Kai gently shook him. “Baekhyun? Can you hear me? Are you okay? Come on, Baek. Please don’t be dead.”

A flicker of movement flashed across his face. His eyes moved beneath his lids as his lashes pulled apart, revealing a horrible red color to his sclera.

“H-how far was that?”

“Fifty feet.”

“Fifty feet a day. How long do you think it’ll take us to get to Incheon if we jumped fifty feet a day?”

“Too long.”

“We can try for sixty.”

Kai pulled him to his feet. “I think fifty is enough. You look like shit.”

“We’re going to be gone for a while then, aren’t we?”

⬣⬣⬣

Baekhyun and Kai were gone longer than expected, so Suho took over training until they returned. Once the boys finished a few laps around the beach, he ordered them to practice their hand to hand combat. With their original partners gone, Chanyeol and Sehun partnered up this time.

“I’ll go easy on you.” Sehun said, bouncing from foot to foot. “That beating you took yesterday was pretty rough.”

“Just shut up and make a move.” Chanyeol barked. The temperature spiked, creating beads of sweat running down their necks. Sehun wiped his forehead with his sleeve and removed his beret to air out his scalp.

“Not in a very good mood today, are we?” He said, inching closer to his opponent.

“It’s been a long morning.”

“Ah yes. I heard you stole Baekhyun’s saber and chased after a pathetic little chicken.” He took a swing at Chanyeol’s head, but the older jumped back just in time. “How hard is it to kill a flightless bird?”

“How hard is it to shut up and let me concentrate?” He swung back, falling short of a successful attack.

“What’s got you all fired up?”

“What do you think?” He dropped his fists when a steady stream of red flowed from his nose. He cupped a hand around his face and tilted his head back, preventing the blood from dripping onto his scout jacket.

Sehun dropped his fists too and blew a gust of wind towards his comrade. “You wanna head down to the beach to cool off?”

Chanyeol’s body sagged to the ground like a bag of sand. He lied back in the grass with his hands still holding his nose. “My head is pounding. I don’t think I can walk all the way down there.”

“Hey Chen!” Sehun called out. “We could really use an overcast. The heat is unbearable today.”

“Are you okay, Chanyeol?” Suho asked as Chen brought a herd of dark clouds in.

“I’m fine. Just overheated.”

“You want some water?” Suho didn’t wait for a response as he jogged across the cliff and knelt down beside his comrade. One hand cupped the back of Chanyeol’s head while the other poured a small trickle of water past his cracked lips.

“Why don’t we take a break and check on Kai and Baekhyun?” Sehun suggested. He stood up on a rock to see beyond El Dorado’s walls. “Oh look, here they come now.”

Kai marched into the courtyard with Baekhyun on his back. Limp arms slung over his shoulders and a heavy head fell onto the back of his neck, while soft snores rumbled in his chest. Kai stopped for a moment to push him further up his back, slightly waking him up.

“What happened?!” Chanyeol shouted, running down the cliff with blood running down his face. “Is he okay?! Did he get hurt?!”

“Relax-” Kai adjusted his hands hooked under Baekhyun’s knees. “He’s just worn out. We were able to jump fifty feet before he blacked out.”

“Fifty feet? That’s it?” Suho said. “That’s not far at all. That’s not even one mile. How do you expect to get to Incheon fifty feet at a time?”

“What other choice do we have? It’s faster than walking there.”

“Incheon is 183 miles away. You’d have to jump around 105 times just to cover one mile. You’d literally have to jump about 19,324 times just to make that trip.” Suho threw his hands up. “There’s no way this’ll work.”

“You sure you can’t go a little further?” Chen asked.

“Are you kidding me?” Chanyeol gestured to Baekhyun. “Do you really think they can go any further?” The temperature rose and more blood gushed from his nose.

“It would take you almost 53 years to make it to Incheon if you jumped fifty feet a day.” Suho continued.

“Well, when you put it like that…” Kai sighed. “We’ll do more than fifty feet a day then. How long would it take if we jumped-say-three times a day?”

Suho took a moment to work out the calculations in his head. “About seventeen years.”

“We can always try jumping further.” Baekhyun said, yawning. “It was our first try, of course it wouldn’t go smoothly. I’m sure I could go further once I get used to it.”

“That doesn’t sound safe.”

“None of this is safe.” He hopped down from Kai’s back. “Going to Incheon isn’t safe, but we have to find the train somehow. Let me rest a bit, then we can try again.”

⬣⬣⬣

Baekhyun went to bed promising to be up in an hour or so. By dinner time, the boys still hadn’t seen him out of bed. Not knowing how to fill his trainer’s shoes for very long, Suho cut training short that day and sent them off to individually work on skills Baekhyun already touched on.

Kai went out to the desert again, glitching from checkpoint to checkpoint as if to test his own tolerance. Sehun watched without his comrade’s knowledge, sitting criss cross in the dirt with a little tornado spinning around his finger.

“What do you think determines a person’s limitations?” He asked out of the blue, startling Kai with his presence. “Do you think-like-size or weight matter?”

“How long have you been sitting there?”

“Not long.”

Kai kicked at rocks as he began pacing. “Well, I’m not sure. It could be. The lighter the being, the less distance they can cover?” He shrugged. “It could be.”

“I’m heavier. Maybe I could try.” Sehun pushed himself to his feet and dusted off his pants. “How far did you say Baekhyun went? Fifty feet? That doesn’t sound too bad.”

“I don’t know, Sehun. He blacked out and he’s been in bed since. I don’t think you want the same thing happening to you.”

He reached his hand out. “Fine. Twenty feet then. Come on, give it a try. If Baekhyun could survive, I’m sure I can too.”

“Sehun-”

“Don’t be a bitch about it. Just take my hand.”

With a sigh, Kai intertwined his fingers with Sehun’s and pulled him close. Sehun pressed against his shoulder, squeezing his hand with uncomfortable tightness. “This won’t hurt, right?”

“You might get whiplash.”

“Alright. I can handle that.”

Just as before, nearby pebbles scattered and the air shifted around them. Sehun felt a weird sensation flow through his body. The way the air moved felt unfamiliar to him. He’d felt it a few times before when Kai teleported close enough to him, but had never been able to bend it in such a way himself, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

Words of astonishment escaped his lips, but they were lost in the white abyss of the in between. Time slowed and whiteness flashed in their vision as they slowly glided across what would’ve been the dirt covered ground.

Sehun felt his head falling back. The pain didn’t register in his mind until they landed twenty feet ahead. His head snapped back without warning and his back hit the ground with a painful thud.

“Oh, fuck…” He groaned.

“Same thing happened to Baekhyun. I don’t think your theory was right.” Kai grabbed him by the elbow and pulled him to his feet.

“Maybe it’s not us that’s the problem. Maybe it’s you.” Sehun scoffed. He meant nothing by it, but it got Kai thinking for the rest of the night.

When Suho called them in for dinner, Kai grabbed a quick bite before heading down to the beach to meditate. Baekhyun said it helped to calm the mind to allow them to use their powers without risk of destruction.

Perhaps that was why Kai couldn’t bring Baekhyun or Sehun further than fifty feet. It wasn’t because their bodies couldn’t handle the jump, it was because his body couldn’t handle the extra cargo.

It made sense in a way. The comrade traveling with him arrived a fraction of a second later than he did. The delay most likely caused the whiplash they both experienced, and the reason for their delay was because he wasn’t necessarily jumping with them, but dragging them behind.

They needed to move at the same speed to avoid injury. To eliminate the split second between his arrival and Baekhyun’s, he had to train himself to carry their weight equally, not one after the other.

He sat in the sand with his legs folded beneath him and his hands on his knees. He closed his eyes and steadied his breathing, not knowing what else to do. Without Baekhyun there to guide him, he didn’t know how to use the energy built up during meditation and channel that into his teleportation.

His mind tricked him into thinking he was doing something useful, when in reality he was really dozing off to sleep. The sound of sand crunching under boots kept him from completely slipping into unconsciousness.

One eye pried open, catching sight of his pink haired comrade swinging a saber around on the opposite side of the beach. Kai watched for a moment, noticing how horribly clumsy Chanyeol was on his feet.

“Hey.” He called out. “Has your nose stopped bleeding?”

The saber dropped to Chanyeol’s side as he marched closer. “Yeah. The temperature’s gone down.”

“Whatcha doing out here with that saber?”

“Baekhyun said I needed to do two extra hours of training. I thought I might as well try out this bad boy while he’s sleeping.”

“You any good?”

Chanyeol laughed. “No, not really. I can’t figure out how much strength to put into it. Tried killing a few chickens and ended up almost chopping my own limbs off.”

“It’s all about balance. Isn’t that what he said? Not too gentle, not too aggressive. Kinda like using our powers.”

“Is that why you’re out here meditating? Trying to find balance so you don’t end up killing somebody?” He said with a chuckle.

“Well, kind of, actually. I think I know why I can’t take Baekhyun any further than fifty feet. His jump is delayed and it’s giving him horrible whiplash.”

“So, how is meditating going to help?”

Kai rose to his feet. “Sehun said that maybe I’m the reason you guys can’t jump very far. So, it got me thinking that maybe it’s because my powers aren’t totally functional yet. I can’t teleport Baekhyun as fast as I can teleport myself, so I’m trying to strengthen my abilities.”

“And, is it working?”

“Well-” He shrugged. “I don’t really know what I’m doing. But, I think I’ve got the right idea. If I can just figure out how to get Baekhyun up to speed with my jump, then I think we can make it to Incheon in the blink of an eye.”

He dropped into a sitting position and closed his eyes again. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to meditate for at least another hour.”

⬣⬣⬣

The screeching of a dying animal echoed throughout the morning air. It’s screams traveled through the windows of each bedroom, yanking the boys from a peaceful slumber. They shot up from their beds and stuck their heads out to look at the scene unfolding in the courtyard below.

Kai grabbed a chicken by the neck and violently flung it around until he heard a snap. The screeching stopped. Tired eyes stared back at him in confusion, not saying a word. He held the corpse up to their view with a smile.

“Hurry up and get down here for breakfast! I have things planned for today!”

They shuffled out of their rooms and ate strips of meat at their rickety old table. As they finished the last of their meal, Kai ducked into the bushes to find his next prey.

“What are you doing?” Suho asked.

“Trying to catch another chicken. I want to test my powers again.”

“What happened to thinking testing it on a chicken was pointless and dumb?” Chanyeol mumbled.

“Well, now that I think I know what the problem is, I know what to do differently. I was up all night trying to figure it out and I think I’m finally onto something.” He turned to Baekhyun. “Feeling any better?”

“I’m fine.”

“Good. I’m almost certain what happened to you yesterday won’t happen again. As long as I’m able to teleport you at the right speed.”

“And, how are you going to do that?” Chen asked.

“The answer: concentration.”

Sehun snorted. “That’s it? It took you all night to come to that conclusion?”

“It’s harder than you think. I practiced on a few plants to see how they reacted. Everything seemed fine, so I believe the same will go for the-” He suddenly lunged forward and the sound of shrieking followed.

The bushes shook violently as Kai rolled through the roots, grasping at something squirming in the branches. His hands shot up and pulled a chicken up with them, squawking and clawing at his sleeves.

“Test subject number one!” He ran down to the beach, expecting the others to follow. When they reached the water’s edge, they noticed little red flags sticking out of the sand to mark each checkpoint.

Kai stood at the first one with the chicken thrashing around in his grasp. “From here to there is ten feet. I can make it there with ease.”

In a flash, their comrade glitched from one flag to the next. They hardly had time to process what happened before Kai held up the still living animal for them to see.

“It’s alive!” He cheered. “It’s still alive!”

“That was only ten feet.” Suho reminded him.

“Then, let’s see how this little guy holds up after jumping twenty feet.” He glitched again, landing at the next flag. The chicken screeched, meaning it made the trip once again.

“See? I told you if I concentrated hard enough, I could get it up to speed!”

“But, fifty feet is the breaking point, right?” Chen asked. “Can you get past fifty?”

“Well, I haven’t actually tried, but I’m sure I could. Now that I know what to do, I could probably go miles.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” Suho said. “Try sixty.”

Kai didn’t have a flag marked for sixty feet, so he made an estimation and jumped beyond the fifty feet mark as far as he felt was necessary. He glitched out of existence only for less than a second, hardly enough time for the others to notice his absence.

Then, his body reappeared further down the beach, tumbling into the sand as he accidentally ran into the rocky walls of the cave within the cliffs. The chicken flew from his grasp, at least part of it.

Everything from the neck up remained trapped in Kai’s grip. The rest of its body washed away with the tide. He dropped the head in the sand and wiped blood from his hands, frowning to himself.

“That wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“Maybe you just need a little more practice.” Baekhyun said. “You can’t expect to be perfect at it on the first few tries.”

“Sixty feet isn’t far. I should’ve been able to handle it.”

“Don’t sweat it, man.” Sehun grabbed the chicken’s head and tossed it to the foot of the cave. “At least you were testing it with an animal instead of us.”

Kai kicked up some sand to conceal the spot of blood at his feet. The beach filled with silence, apart from the sound of waves washing up onto the shore and retreating back into the ocean.

He looked back at the head within the cave, sort of as a painful reminder of his failure. Only, he didn’t see it. He could’ve sworn Sehun tossed it aside moments before.

“I can help with meditation.” Baekhyun said, breaking the silence. “It would help a lot with concentration.”

“Where…?”

“You can join me and Chanyeol for extra training.”

“Wait, we’re still doing that?”

“Well, I didn’t get to join you yesterday.”

“Where did the chicken go?” Kai asked, turning to Sehun.

“What do you mean? The body’s washed away. Hey, don’t worry about it-”

“I mean the head.” He interrupted. “Where’d the head go?”

Sehun stood at the foot of the cave, staring down at the spot of blood where the remains once laid. The air around him shifted, moved in a way he’d only experienced a few times before. He turned back to look at Kai, who remained standing in the same position as before.

“What the fuck just happened?”

“What? What do you mean?”

He raised a hand to feel the way the air moved around it. The direction returned to normal. Whatever created the disturbance in the flow disappeared.

“Something’s moving along the air. I can feel it.”

“What could it be? Is it…” Kai didn’t finish his sentence, not knowing whether it was because he felt he shouldn't or because he didn’t know what to say.

Moisture, heat, and static filled the atmosphere. Sehun and Kai looked further up the beach at the others, who looked back at them with the same amount of confusion in their eyes.

“That’s you guys, right?”

“I think so. You’re making us nervous.”

“Sorry.” He felt the air again. “Well, it’s gone now. I guess all we can do is keep any eye out for anything suspicious.”

“You don’t think-” Chen let their minds fill in the blanks.

“I don’t know. Maybe, maybe not.” Sehun responded with a shrug. “Just, keep an eye out, okay?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was so exhausting to write. Too much math involved


	5. Chapter: 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys get ready for Incheon

_ Mokpo, South Korea _

_ El Dorado _

_ April 3rd _

_ 7:03 _

Seventy feet. Kai reached seventy feet with a live chicken early the next morning, as the others shuffled out of bed and met at the edge of the sand. They didn’t see their comrade, but heard him glitching in and out of existence beyond El Dorado.

Then, his voice bellowed across the desert, sending lizards scurrying under rocks and flightless birds aggressively flapping against the breeze. The boys’ heads shot up, turning an ear towards the sandy landscape.

Nothing but incoherent shouting. A mixture of nonexistent words and voice cracks. The boys turned to one another as if they had an explanation, and the look in their eyes proved otherwise.

They sprang into action, hopping around with one boot on and the other being pulled over their foot. Chanyeol and Chen tumbled into bushes as Baekhyun ran past them with his saber in hand, the blade slicing through the air as it came free from his holster.

“Kai!” Suho shouted, splashing around in the waves that rushed up the shore without warning. He stopped short at the sight of his comrade caught up in a brawl with flapping wings and loose feathers.

“Kai?”

Said person responded with a grunt as the chicken in his grip squirmed out of his fingers and dropped to the floor like dead weight. Except, it wasn’t dead, it was very much alive, and Kai screamed out in joy at the sight.

“Seventy feet!” He cheered before spitting feathers out of his mouth. “Seventy feet and the bastard lives!”

“Seventy feet?”

“Seventy feet!” He laughed. The chicken wriggling around in the dirt got to its feet and ran behind a rock. The six of them watched it like hunters, soaking in the information and letting it sink into their minds.

“Seventy feet.” Sehun repeated. “You actually did it.”

“I know! Soon enough, it’ll be one mile! If I keep at it, I’ll jump 183 miles like it’s nothing!” He pulled his comrade into a hug, much to Sehun’s discomfort. The arms constricting around his torso nearly squeezed the air right out of his lungs, and Sehun had to gather up a small breeze to breath.

“Certainly better than fifty.” Suho said quietly, too quietly to be meant for anyone else to hear. He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling moisture pricking at his skin. The others felt it too, but chose not to comment on it.

“You wanna give it a try, Baekhyun?” Kai asked. “I promise I won’t decapitate you like I did that chicken from yesterday.”

He forced a smile. “Maybe after breakfast.”

“This is great.” Kai continued, mindlessly jumping up on rocks. “I didn’t think I could reach sixty, let alone seventy! I guess I’m a pretty fast learner.”

“And, once you’re able to teleport for miles, you and Baekhyun will go to Incheon?” Chen asked.

“Of course! We could go even further if we wanted.”

“And then what?”

“What do you mean?”

“Once you get to Incheon; then what?”

Kai didn’t have an answer. He turned to Suho, prompting the others to follow suit. Five pairs of eyes pierced holes through him, causing a cloud of mist to cast over their heads. The droplets of water helped cool down the scorching desert, yet Suho felt heat rising in his face.

“W-we find the train.”

“I know, but then what? You keep talking about the train, but you’ve never actually said what we’ll do once we find it.”

“We…” The droplets in the air grew bigger, until their weight became too much for the wind to carry and fell to the ground as rain. Suho wiped drops from his eyelashes, blinking rapidly against the storm.

“We get it working again.”

“How?” Chanyeol asked. “Do we even know who’s been operating the train? Do we have any idea what happened to them?”

“It’s probably the military.” Sehun answered. “Maybe they thought they got all the survivors. We get the train up and working again, and we get the last of the survivors out of Korea.” He turned to Suho. “Right?”

“Yes. Right. There are still survivors in Korea who need our help.”

“How do we know that? We haven’t been in the city in over a year.” Chen said.

“Kai saw survivors at the train station. They said the train never came back to Seoul. They had no idea what happened in Incheon.”

“So, for all we know, we could be heading into an absolute war zone?” Chanyeol scoffed. “Maybe it’s best we don’t go to Incheon at all. We can find another way to America.”

“There is no other way. That’s why it's so important we get Kai and Baekhyun to Incheon safely. They’re our only hope.”

Silence fell over them. The rain eased up and rays of sunlight poked through the clouds of mist. Baekhyun wiped wet strands of golden-white hair out of his face and stepped forward.

“When do we leave?” He directed the question at Kai, but Suho felt inclined to answer.

“When we know you can make the trip.”

“We shouldn’t waste too much time.”

“We also shouldn’t push Kai to jump too far.” Chen said. “You’ll go when he’s confident he can take you.”

“How long will that take?”

Kai cleared his throat. “Don’t worry. I’ll train as hard as I can so we can leave as soon as possible. Give me till tonight. I’m sure I could go even further by then.”

⬣⬣⬣

Throughout the day, the boys periodically checked on their comrade to see how much distance he gained. Whenever Baekhyun gave them a break from training, they marched out to the desert to see where he disappeared to. They asked how far he jumped with a poor chicken trapped in his hands, and every time he told them he gained at least ten to twenty feet.

He lied. In reality, the chicken came apart in his hands around ninety feet. In a panic, he buried the evidence and snatched another from the bushes, then jumped seventy feet at a time to avoid losing another test subject.

“How much distance are you at now?” Suho asked around the afternoon.

“I’d say I’ve reached about a hundred, maybe two hundred feet.”

“You’re almost to a mile.”

“Almost.”

The pressure ate up at him. He didn’t have time to jump around for days, weeks, maybe months until 183 miles came as easy as twenty feet. The boys were anxious, the survivors were counting on him. Their whole survival depended on whether he could jump far enough before the deadline he set for himself.

When the sun touched the edge of the ocean, Kai knew he was running out of time. He jumped 200 feet on a whim and ended up snapping the chicken’s neck in half.

His knees hit the dirt. The sun dipped below the water level, casting darkness across the sand. A full moon rose in its place, an orangish tint to it.

Tears streamed down his face. Tears from stress more than anything. He wouldn’t be able to jump 183 miles with Baekhyun any time soon, not at this rate. He was barely pushing eighty. If he didn’t find some way to improve faster, the survivors might not need saving by the time he was ready.

His tears fell to the ground, drops of salty water collecting on the sand. They didn’t absorb into the ground, but remained on the surface the way raindrops sat on leaves after a downpour.

Then, it levitated above the ground, collecting into a little ball of water similar to the one Suho created a few nights before. Kai reached out to touch it, causing the water to break and splash to the floor.

“Kai!” His comrades called out. He quickly wiped his face and pushed himself to his feet. He forced a smile on his face, despite the darkness making their features hard to see.

“So?” Suho said with a shrug.

“Oh, about 300 feet.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah.” He chuckled. “Pretty good, huh?”

“At this rate, you’ll be able to cover a mile everyday. If you can cover that much distance, you’ll make it to Incheon in about six months.”

“Are you ready to try it with Baekhyun?” Chen asked.

“Oh...well…”

“Maybe we should wait a little longer.” Chanyeol interrupted, sounding as nervous as Kai felt. “Let him get used to it first before you start sending others with him.”

“I’m ready whenever you are.” Baekhyun added.

“Of course.” He turned his back to them, feeling tears pricking the side of his eyes. “Well, my chicken got away. I’m gonna go catch another and see if I can get any more distance.”

⬣⬣⬣

Kai didn’t sleep that night. Determination took hold of him and wouldn’t let him rest until he accomplished his goal. Honestly, he had no idea what his goal really was at that point; reach 183 miles, reach one mile, reach hundred feet.

It didn’t really matter to him, as long as he made progress. For a while, he found himself stuck at eighty feet, and resulted in the beheading of at least fifteen chickens. He buried them all, afraid his comrades would realize the truth lied in the body count.

Two o’clock in the morning, before the sun had any energy to rise, Kai jumped for what felt like the millionth time, landing one hundred feet from his original position. The chicken in his hand screeched and fluttered its wings.

A sigh of relief turned into a fit of laughter. Not that he found anything funny, but sleep deprivation and sheer frustration turned his brain to mush.

Jumping one hundred feet with a stupid chicken flailing around in his arms felt like the biggest fucking accomplishment he’d ever achieved. In the greater scheme of things, it meant nothing; it wasn’t a mile, he still hadn’t attempted to carry Baekhyun the same distance, and it was hardly any closer to 183.

That didn’t stop him from throwing his fists up in the air and screaming at the top of his lungs until he ran short of oxygen. The distance between his isolated spot in the desert and El Dorado prevented any of his comrades from hearing his banshee calls, but the same couldn’t be said for the dozens of creatures petrified in their hiding spots beneath the rocks.

“One hundred feet!” He shook his fist at the moon. “Almost a mile! It’s close enough, right?!”

The orange glow from the moon casted shadows along the sand, concealing footprints that didn’t match his own. He wouldn’t have noticed them had it not been for an unexplained shift in the light.

The luminescence appeared to bend, developing curves that moved in a way Kai had never seen before. The shadows adjusted to the light’s movement, revealing footsteps moving along the sand.

He wasn’t alone. The prints formed right before his eyes, but the boots they belonged to were invisible. The sound they produced got lost among the ambience of the desert. Kai would’ve passed it off as sleep deprived delusions if paranoia didn’t have such a way of convincing otherwise.

He stumbled back, forgetting momentarily that walking (better yet, running) wasn’t necessary for escape. In the blink of an eye, he transported himself to the beach below El Dorado, falling face first in the sand.

As determined as he was to continue training, an encounter with hallucinations drained him of any energy and he found himself sneaking up to his bedroom rather than returning to the shadow ridden desert.

⬣⬣⬣

“Well, don’t just stand there. Take his hand.”

Kai got about five hours of sleep. The sun shot rays of harsh blinding light through his window and yanked him out of a good dream. Then, Sehun barged into his room and dragged him out of bed. They scarfed breakfast down before meeting in the desert for another round of try-not-to-decapitate-the-chicken-while-your-comrades-are-watching.

Kai and Baekhyun stood in the center of a crowd of four, facing each other as if the others dared them to kiss for some cruel middle school prank.

“What are you waiting for, Kai? I thought you said you made it to one hundred feet.” Sehun said, tapping his foot.

“You can handle this, right?” Baekhyun spoke low enough so only Kai heard. He nodded once, dizziness from the nerves preventing him from moving his head much.

“Then, why won’t you take my hand?”

It took a minute for the question to process in his mind, and the lack of sleep certainly wasn’t helping. He slipped one hand into Baekhyun’s, feeling heat rising around them.

“Please be careful.” Kai heard Chanyeol mutter, unable to determine if his comrade was even aware he said it out loud.

“Hold tight.” He said as the saliva in his mouth dried up, leaving his throat feeling as rough and cracked as the sand he stood on.

Baekhyun squeezed his arm tight and pushed his head against his shoulder. The others never pried their eyes away. Kai couldn’t stand there and do nothing forever.

The air shifted. Sehun felt it first. He clung to Chanyeol in anticipation, while the latter turned away to wipe blood from his nose.

They blinked and in that split second, their comrades disappeared. They squinted against the sun to make out two figures up ahead; one standing and one tumbling to the ground.

“How far was that?!” Chen shouted with his hands cupped around his mouth.

“One hundred feet!”

“Now try three hundred!”

Kai grabbed Baekyun’s arm and pulled him to his feet. “How do you feel?”

“I’m okay. I think I can handle three hundred.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you sure?”

“I guess.”

“Positive?”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine. I didn’t even get any whiplash.”

“Okay, but...I want you to really think about this. Are you sure you’re ready for three hundred?”

“Yes, I’m ready.” He reached for Kai’s hand, but he pulled back to his surprise. “What? You don’t want to try three hundred?”

“I-” He licked his dry lips in a vain attempt to bring moisture to his mouth again. “I’m afraid it won’t work.”

“But, you were able to do it with a chicken, right?”

“I…”

“How far did you go, Kai?”

“I just think we should stick with one hundred feet a day. That’s not so bad, right?”

“Why stop at one hundred when you know you can do more?”

To avoid the question, he grabbed Baekhyun’s hand and teleported him back to their starting point. Baekhyun kept his feet planted this time, only stumbling forward a little.

“Aren’t you gonna try three hundred?” Chen asked.

“You know, I’m feeling a little worn out from training last night. Maybe later.”

The excuse worked, and gave Kai a little more time to practice. The pressure gave him the push he needed to try for three hundred, when none of them were around to see him behead another chicken of course.

It got to the point where he no longer felt concerned for Baekhyun, but himself. Pushing himself too much put a strain on his mind, and he didn’t notice the toll it was taking on his body until he felt blood dripping down his face.

He quickly wiped it away and kept going, pushing for five hundred feet. He was determined to reach a mile before the end of the day; a nose bleed wouldn’t get in his way.

The heat spiked during the afternoon, when the sun reached the highest point in the sky. The others were swimming down at the beach stripped down to their boxers, leaving Kai to suffer through the heat in the burning hot sand, fully clothed.

The heat evaporated every tear that left his eyes before they made it halfway down his cheek. The drops turned to vapor, as did the sweat beating down his face. The desert absorbed heat during the sunniest part of the day, but never like this.

He teleported down to the beach and collapsed in the sand, panting as if he returned from a marathon. Chanyeol felt the heat radiating off of him even from a distance and swam to shore to dump some water on his face.

“How far’ve you made it?” He asked casually, not expecting his comrade to suddenly burst into tears.

“A mile.” He lied, not sure why he bothered to or why he ever did in the first place.

“Then, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Just tired.”

⬣⬣⬣

When the sun went down and the desert cooled off, Baekhyun and Kai went beyond El Dorado to try again. Kai had no problem jumping three hundred feet, but he hadn’t managed an entire mile as promised, and embarrassment kept him from admitting the truth.

“Ready?” Baekhyun asked.

“You tell me.”

“I’m ready when you are.”

Perhaps the frustration and anger manifesting in his chest gave him the sudden urge to go for it without precaution. Maybe it was the stress and restlessness and lack of sleep that forced him to take Baekhyun’s hand and jump without second thought.

And maybe that was all he needed; a little push. A little motivation. A moment of failure to show him that he was capable of anything he put enough time and energy into. He may have given Baekhyun whiplash so bad he lost consciousness, but at least he kept his head.

“A mile!” He shouted, jumping over Baekhyun’s body. “That was a fucking mile! Holy fuck, can you believe it?! How?! I’ve never gone that far with anyone before!”

Baekhyun didn’t respond and Kai realized his comrade completely blacked out. He dropped to his knees and pressed two fingers to his neck, feeling a steady heartbeat beneath his skin.

“We did it, Baekhyun. We got to one mile.”

The others received the news when Kai teleported back to El Dorado with Baekhyun slung over his shoulders. The milestone called for a celebration, albeit a small and short lived one.

They went down to the beach with an old bottle of liquor they kept hidden away, waiting for the perfect time to use it. The previous owners left it behind in what used to be the bar; the only thing they left behind before their trip to Seoul.

Chanyeol popped the lid off and everyone took a swig from the dust covered bottle, lifting a toast to their comrade.

They got drunk and went swimming. Their clothes piled up on the beach, even their underclothes, alongside boots and weapons. Kai passed out at the water’s edge, face down in the sand. Suho drunkenly tried rolling him up the slope as the others floundered around in the water, stark naked.

Sehun and Chen stumbled over each other as they dove head first into incoming waves, nearly resulting in both of them drowning. The water that rushed into their lungs didn’t bother them much, besides the coughing fits that followed, mainly because they were too drunk to realize their near death experience.

Meanwhile, Baekhyun floated on his back, completely dazed and unaware of his surroundings. Chanyeol snapped him out of it by yanking him below the surface, using a little too much strength without realizing it.

They both resurfaced spouting water into the crooks of their elbows. It triggered an unusual reaction from Chanyeol, who fell into Baekhyun’s shoulder laughing like a maniac.

Suho didn’t need any of them drowning, especially not when they planned to leave for Incheon so soon, so he carried them back to shore on the waves.

“Ah, congratulations, Kai.” Chanyeol muttered as he tried slipping into Baekhyun’s pants instead of his own. “A mile’s a big-big jump.”

“To Incheon!” Chen shouted with a raised fist. “Bring back lots of souvenirs from your travels. I want a postcard from Incheon, you know?”

Kai simply raised a thumb, too drunk to form any coherent sentences. Chanyeol bent down to give him a hug, but Baekhyun’s pants were still around his ankles and resulted in a head on collision.

“I think we should go to bed.” Suho yawned. “You need help getting up the stairs?” He didn’t direct the question at anyone in particular, instead turning to the sky for an answer.

“I think I’ll sleep here.” Sehun fell back into the sand and dozed off listening to the sound of his own alcohol induced snores.

“Y’all have a good night now.” Chen’s words came out slurred and hardly audible, mirroring the sluggish way he walked up the beach, not one article of clothing on his body.

“Mind if I sleep here?” Chanyeol asked Kai, his head still on his chest. Then, he fell asleep in a matter of seconds, and Kai followed suit.

Suho turned to Baekhyun, who had nothing but Chanyeol’s scout jacket and beret on. He sat criss cross with his hands folded in his lap, the way a child would. “Where are my pants?” He mumbled.

“You wanna go to bed?”

“Yeah, let’s get to bed. Chanyeol-” He reached out blindly and smacked someone’s foot. “This isn’t our room.”

“Come on, let’s go to bed.”

“Okay.” Baekhyun tried standing up, but tumbled into the remaining pile of clothes and blacked out. Suho patted the top of his head, then stumbled up the stairs and into his room.

⬣⬣⬣

They woke up later than normal, feeling the effects of a hangover kicking in. Suho forced himself out of bed and dragged his feet into Chen’s room, shaking him awake. The rest remained passed out on the beach, none of them wearing a piece of clothing that belonged to them.

The waves crept up on them, tickling their bare feet to pull them from their deep sleep. Baekhyun woke up first, looking around in confusion at the clothes surrounding him and feeling the hat sitting on his head.

“How’d you sleep?” Suho asked as he collected the clothes he left behind.

“I don’t remember falling asleep. I don’t feel awake.” He stared out at the ocean with a distant look in his gaze. Dark circles appeared under his lids, and his eyes formed into mini crescents as they strained against the morning light.

“The fuck…?” Chanyeol pushed himself off Kai’s chest, wiping drool from the corner of his mouth. Kai sat up too and stretched his cramping arms out.

“A cute little celebration, huh?” Sehun mumbled with a hint of drunkenness in his voice. “We should do this more often.”

“We can’t. We have to get ready for Incheon now.”

Their carefree attitudes disappeared with the moon. Those few hours spent forgetting about their worries came and went as fast as the waves reached the sand and returned to the ocean. They didn’t have time for fun anymore. Suho ordered them to pack for their trip as soon as they gathered themselves that morning.

Baekhyun got dressed and went up to his room to stuff water and rations into a backpack. Chanyeol watched from the doorway, not saying a word. Unspoken confessions filled the air between them the way the sunlight from the window did.

“Don’t you think it’s too soon?” Chanyeol eventually spoke, using a tone Baekhyun rarely heard.

“We don’t leave till tomorrow.”

“Exactly.”

“Kai said he was ready. I’m ready. What’s the point of waiting?”

“Do you really think he’s ready? Not long ago, he could barely make fifty feet.”

“We jumped one mile.”

“Once. You got lucky. Hardly considering you blacked out. I don’t trust he can keep it up for six months.”

Baekhyun stuffed the last of his rations in every pocket he could fit them in and threw one strap over his shoulder.

“If you’re so concerned about him, go talk to him. I can’t say for sure if he’ll be okay or not.”

“He’s not the only one I’m worried about.”

Humidity built up in the confined space of their room; a mixture of Chanyeol’s irritation and Suho’s anxiety. Baekhyun went outside to breathe easier, but the cause of the stuffiness followed behind him.

“Suho said we needed more training.” Chanyeol continued, nearly chasing after Baekhyun as he moved from the infirmary to his backpack. “He wants us to train before we’re thrown out in the real world, but he’s going to send you two a matter of days after Kai figured out his powers?”

“It’s his call, not mine.”

“You don’t see a problem with this?”

Baekhyun sighed as he carried a crate full of bandages. “Maybe I do, but what can I do about it? We need to get to Incheon as soon as possible.”

“The trip will take six months, assuming Kai can actually jump one mile everyday.”

“I know.”

“That’s too long.”

“I’m sure we can cover more than one mile a day. At least it’s better than fifty three years.”

Chanyeol snatched the crate from his arms and planted himself in front of the door. Baekhyun rolled his eyes as he tried to move past him, but the taller side stepped to prevent him from leaving.

“Chanyeol, I have a headache and I’m tired. I’m not in the mood-”

“What the fuck am I supposed to do for six months without you?”

“I don’t know. Learn how to catch a chicken.”

“Seriously, Baekhyun. I don’t want you guys getting hurt.”

“You think I can’t handle myself out there?”

“Baekhyun, you’re smart, you’re a good fighter, you know how to handle yourself, but you also have no idea what you’re getting yourself into or if you’re as ready as you say. Suho is rushing this, can’t you see? Kai’s been stressing himself out trying to train as fast as possible. He won’t admit it, but I can tell.”

Baekhyun lowered his head. “Whether we leave tomorrow or months from now, one’s things for certain; we’ll never truly be ready.” He reached out to touch Chanyeol’s arm. “I don’t know what I’m getting myself into, but I’ll never know unless I go to Incheon. I’ll be okay.”

“I want to believe you.”

“And you’re going to have to, because no matter what you say, I’m leaving tomorrow morning.”

Chanyeol dropped the crate in his arms again and left without another word. Scorching footprints trailed behind him, burning imprints into the cement.

⬣⬣⬣

Kai knew it was his fault Suho rushed their departure. He lied about the distance he was capable of covering for the sake of putting his comrades at ease, so they didn’t have to worry about how long it would take before they could get to Incheon.

Now, they expected him to jump miles and miles with Baekhyun by his side as if it came as naturally to him as breathing. He acted all confident about it, pretending as if the trip to Incheon was no big deal. A few tests with chickens was all he needed to prepare, no big deal.

Then, the sun shone through his window the following morning, and every ounce of what little confidence he possessed fleeted with his dreams. He was going to Incheon, the fact finally sunk in, and he found himself heaving into a bush as bile burned his throat.

If he fucked this up, Baekhyun might end up without a head. If he fucked this up, the survivors would forever stay trapped in Korea. If he fucked this up, his comrades would never let him hear the end of it.

But, to say  _ if  _ he fucked up made no sense. He _ already _ fucked up when he lied to ensure the others he could handle the trip when he couldn’t. The one time he jumped one mile came from a place of pent up anger and desperation to do something right. He might not have it in him to do it again.

He gulped down a canteen of water to ease the tossing and turning in his gut. By then, the others rolled out of bed and met at the edge of the sand to silently eat their last breakfast together for a while.

None of them slept the night before, if their blood shot eyes and dark circles were any indication. Suho looked half asleep as he distributed strips of chicken between the six of them, yawning every few seconds.

Chen and Sehun were the only two who ate. Suho and Chanyeol picked at their food in an attempt to at least consume something, and Baekhyun and Kai didn’t bother.

“Excited?” Sehun asked, the lack of enthusiasm in his tone indicating he already knew the answer.

“Nervous.” Kai answered for the both of them.

“Six months. It’s gonna be weird not seeing you for so long.”

“It might not take us that long. We can try for more than a mile a day.”

“Are you sure?” Chanyeol spoke in that tone again that always stressed Baekhyun out. “Don’t you think you’re pushing yourself a little?”

“I’m fine.” Kai answered, too quickly to be convincing. “I’ve been training as hard as possible; I can handle this.”

“It’s only been days. You’ve hardly had any training.”

“Chanyeol, please don’t start this again.” Baekhyun sighed.

“I’m just saying. He could get you killed if he isn’t fully prepared.”

“Thanks for reminding me. As if I wasn’t already worried enough…” He mumbled the last part, too quietly for anyone to hear.

“Please stop worrying so much.” Baekhyun continued, soothingly rubbing Chanyeol’s arm. “You’re only making this harder.”

“You’ll be okay.” Suho said, more as reassurance for himself than a reminder to his comrades. “You ready?”

After breakfast, they gathered up all the supplies they packed away and stood at the edge of the desert. Kai clutched the straps of his backpack, twisting it painfully around his fists. Baekhyun stood close beside him with his hands wrapped around his bicep.

“Once you get to Incheon, locate the last train. If you find it, try to get it working again. You’re main priority is getting that train back to Seoul.”

They nodded along as Suho explained their mission.

“Stay together. Don’t leave each other’s side under any circumstances. Keep each other safe, okay? You can handle this, I know you can.”

Kai ran a hand through his green locks, feeling sweat building up on his skin under the intense heat. “We’ll be back soon.” He gave each of them a hug, conscious not to hold on too long for fear he’d never let go.

Baekhyun exchanged hugs too, stopping in front of Chanyeol last to give him a kiss on the cheek. Too many words sat on the tip of Chanyeol’s tongue, but in that moment he couldn’t bring himself to say a thing.

Baekhyun silently nodded, then reattached himself to Kai’s side. “Good luck.” Suho said before the two of them glitched out of existence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, this chapter took me forever to write. Y'all hyped to see what happens in Incheon? Cause I am :)


	6. Chapter: 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trip to Incheon

_ Mokpo, South Korea _

_ Somewhere in the desert _

_ April 6th _

_ 5:45 _

Kai jumped three hundred feet at a time. Baekhyun noticed an hour into their trip. They took ten minute breaks between jumps to rest and get a sip of water. At the one hour mark, when Kai stopped and popped the lid off his canteen, Baekhyun walked further ahead to measure the amount of distance they covered.

“Why aren’t you jumping a mile?”

“I am.”

“No, you’re not. This isn’t a mile. We’d be a lot further ahead if we jumped by a mile.”

Kai took a swig of his drink and followed Baekhyun’s gaze to the empty desert. “How can you tell?”

“Because we’d be a lot further by now.”

“We’re way past El Dorado. Can’t even see it anymore. I’d say we’ve covered a good amount of distance.”

“But, we could be further.”

He sat down beside the rock Kai squatted on and took the canteen of water from him. Silence swirled around them along with the sand kicked up by a breeze. They both had something to say, neither spoke, and the tension suffocated them more than the sweltering heat.

Kai rose to his feet and wiped sweat from his face, then took Baekhyun’s hand and jumped. They went three hundred feet. Baekhyun didn’t comment on it.

⬣⬣⬣

Mid afternoon felt like a month later. For every three hundred feet they covered, more desert appeared ahead of them. No sign of a town, or people. Just sand. Rocks. Lizards and chickens. A haze hovering above the ground as the temperature rose.

Baekhyun locked his eyes onto his compass. The red dial pointed north. They walked in a straight line, dragging their boots through the dirt as sweat beat down their faces. The rays of light burned their skin, leaving red spots along their cheeks and neck.

They stopped for water. Split one pack of granola between them. No words were exchanged. When they finished, they put their supplies in the backpack Kai carried and jumped again.

Two hundred feet. He was slowing down. Baekhyun suspected calling attention to it might decrease his willingness to listen. They weren’t covering as much distance as anticipated, but he couldn’t do much about it bothering Kai with complaints.

They marched on, wearing wet rags on the back of their necks to keep cool. Drops fell below the collars of their shirts and down their bare chests. Baekhyun couldn’t tell if it was water or sweat.

The evening rolled in, taking its sweet time just to spite them. When the sun lowered below the horizon and a full moon crept higher in the sky, the two dropped to the floor to rest their aching legs.

They snacked on some granola and took a few sips of water. It became apparent early on that their “meals” wouldn’t be enough to sustain a sufficient amount of energy. They decided not to think about too much.

Kai laid the backpack down in the dirt to use as a makeshift pillow. Baekhyun curled up beside him. The temperature dropped in a matter of minutes, leaving them shivering on the ground and holding each other for warmth.

Neither slept. Partially because of discomfort, mostly because of stress. They almost didn’t move when the sun rose, too tired and sore to get up. But, a tan colored spider the size of a fist crawled up Baekhyun’s back and scared them both to their feet.

They had beef jerky for breakfast. Dry, tough, and flavorless. Baekhyun suggested they hunted for chickens and it was the first time he spoke to Kai since the start of their trip.

“Maybe later today. We need to get moving.”

They were back up to three hundred, but had yet to jump any further. They took more frequent breaks too, stopping to eat granola and jerky in an attempt to regain their fleeting energy.

Baekhyun sharpened his saber with a rock, preparing for a hunt. Kai never stopped long enough to let him. He reassured his comrade granola and jerky was enough for now; they’d catch chickens when their food supply ran low.

Baekhyun assumed shorter breaks made up for shorter jumps. Kai was fully aware that his comrade knew he was struggling to jump as far as expected. He couldn’t afford wasting time chasing chickens and resting for hours when he fell so far behind.

The sun rose higher in the sky and the heat spiked, prompting the boys to stop and cool down. They drank more water, poured some on the wet rags. There was no shade to sit in. Baekhyun bent the light away from them, but he couldn’t control the heat it radiated.

Kai got on his knees and locked his hands behind his head, panting like a hot dog. Baekhyun silently took his rag off and threw it over his comrade’s head, despite his own body threatening to collapse.

A fifteen minute break, then they got back to their feet and kept going. Baekhyun fanned himself with an empty jerky packet as he watched the compass spin towards north. As soon as the dial steadied itself, Kai grabbed his arm and jumped forward, throwing the direction off.

The dial spun out of control, flickering from north to south, north to east, east back to south, over to west. Baekhyun smacked it against his hip until the gravitational pull guided it back in the right direction.

Late afternoon, Kai sat down on a rock to wipe his face with the rag over his head. Letting his comrade keep both rags, Baekhyun used his scout jacket as a canopy instead. They ate some granola and a piece of jerky. A few sips of water. A moment of rest and silence.

“How far do you think we’ve made it?” Baekhyun asked, his voice sounding hoarse and cracked.

“I don’t know.”

“Well, do you know how many times you’ve jumped?”

“I didn’t know I was supposed to keep track.”

“At least we know we’ve covered more than a mile, right?” He intended to lighten the mood, but the statement only pissed Kai off. He grabbed Baekhyun’s elbow and jumped one hundred feet, about as far as he could go at that point.

They kept marching. Their clothes were soaked in sweat and water. Baekhyun took his jacket off and wore it on his head. Another jump and his compass went askew. His calloused fingers flicked at it until the dial went back to normal.

“Why don’t we catch a chicken for dinner tonight?” He suggested.

“I don’t see any chickens around.”

“They must be hiding in the bushes. Come on, let’s stop for a minute.”

“We don’t have time.”

“It won’t take me long.”

“We have to skin it and pluck it and start a fire and cook it and there’s nowhere to store what’s left over so we’ll have to eat all of it-”

“I’m tired of jerky.”

“And I’m tired.” He laughed at the randomness of his statement, shaking his head to himself.

They didn’t stop for chicken. More jerky for dinner. Baekhyun thought his jaw might dislocate from chewing the rubbery meat. They ate granola too. It seemed crunchier than usual, and Kai realized sand got into their packs.

They slept with a backpack under their heads again. Baekhyun spent the entire night staring up at the moon. Kai dozed off into a strange dream. They didn’t rise the next morning until a scorpion hooked onto Kai’s shoelace and scared him awake.

They had granola and sand for breakfast. Their first canteen ran dry. Baekhyun popped the lid off the next one and allowed himself only a sip. Kai had jerky. The sand in his granola irritated his throat. Baekhyun passed him the canteen, only to snatch it away after one gulp.

They kept walking. Not only had the distance decreased, but the amount of jumps did too. Kai didn’t say he was too tired. He didn’t need to. Baekhyun walked ahead, maintaining more energy when he stopped using his powers to alter the light.

They jumped about ten times a day. Much less than before. Kai was down to fifty feet. Baekhyun tried not to let it get to him, but they were falling too far behind.

“What gives?” He stopped in his tracks. It was early morning. Day three? Day four? They lost count. Baekhyun stopped and Kai had no choice but to do the same.

“What?”

“What gives?” He repeated. “I know you’re tired, but you haven’t jumped a mile this entire trip. You said you could handle this.”

“I can.”

“Then, why won’t you jump a mile?”

“I’m-” He swallowed dryly. “I’m trying to pace myself.”

“We’re not covering enough distance.”

“I’m doing my best.”

Baekhyun wanted to say more, but he heard the pain in his comrade’s voice. The stress and exhaustion and frustration building up in his body, threatening to spill over at a moment’s notice. He was pushing it by complaining, so he kept his mouth shut.

⬣⬣⬣

More granola and jerky. Baekhyun felt sick from the smell alone. Kai tried eating, but lost his appetite and only consumed a bite. They fell asleep leaning against each other.

When they woke the next morning, the temperature spiked. Kai soaked both of his rags and wrapped them around his head. Baekhyun held up his jacket for shade. They drank more water than usual to quench their unbearable thirst and finished off their second canteen by the end of the day.

Baekhyun couldn’t stand the food anymore. He forced himself to wake up before Kai to hunt. His comrade woke up to the smell of roasting meat. He looked to the fire, then to Baekhyun, then back at the fire.

“I was hungry for chicken. That jerky is too dry.”

Kai quietly cried to himself as he indulged in their feast. Baekhyun noticed, but didn’t say anything. The meal gave both of them an energy boost, a much needed one.

Kai jumped three hundred feet. Baekhyun was growing frustrated. He didn’t say anything, instead taking his anger out on rocks skidding across the sand. Kai pretended not to notice.

It might’ve been a week later when Baekhyun found their backpack went missing. It felt like months. They stopped in the early hours of the morning when the sun barely peeked over the horizon to sit and massage their feet.

Kai leaned the backpack against a rock. They both had their backs turned. Baekhyun walked back to fetch it, distracted by his compass losing direction again.

“Hey, where’s the backpack?” He asked mindlessly, not fully attentive of his surroundings.

“Right h-” Kai turned around to see it disappeared. He looked up at Baekhyun, who still hadn’t noticed the problem.

“Where’s the backpack?”

“What? I’m asking you.”

“I set it right here.”

“You mean you don’t know where it is?”

The silence spoke for itself.

They didn’t want to panic. Honestly had no energy to. Instead, they sat with their backs pressed together and their knees to their chests, staring. At what? Nothing. There was nothing to stare at. Just sand. Rocks. The lizards and chickens disappeared. The haze hovering over the ground.

“Those were all of our supplies.” Kai commented.

“Yeah.”

“And now it’s gone.”

“Yeah.”

“We have no food and water.”

“Yeah.”

“We have no way of surviving out here.”

“Yeah.”

⬣⬣⬣

The reality of their situation didn’t sink in until nighttime. After their backpack disappeared, they carried on without it, not sparing another thought. Baekhyun reminded him they had chicken to eat. He didn’t mention the fact they had no fire. Kai reassured him that a town would most likely pop up soon. Really he had no idea.

It wasn’t until they stopped for the night to sleep that everything came crashing down around them. Baekhyun lied down in the sand and brushed rocks out from under him for more comfort. Kai followed suit. They stared at the stars for a moment, not saying a word.

Then, Baekhyun sat up and brushed dirt out of his hair. “We don’t have a pillow.” He said, before bursting into tears and burying his head between his knees.

Kai cried too, but not a sound left his mouth. Tears streaked down the side of his face, falling into his ears. Baekhyun stumbled to his feet and walked away. He went nowhere in particular, just around. Kai fell asleep to the sound of his comrade frantically moving around the desert as sobs poured from his mouth.

The next morning, they sat facing each other. Kai picked at rocks. Baekhyun played with his compass. They were thinking of solutions, at least trying. Better yet, failing.

“What if I jumped the rest of the way? However much distance we have left.”

“What about me?” Baekhyun asked quietly. “Are you going to leave me here alone? You’re not supposed to go to Incheon by yourself anyways.”

“Then, why don’t we just go back to El Dorado?”

“And then what? Gather supplies only to get stranded in the desert again and come running back?”

He shrugged. “Or, we forget about Incheon all together.”

“What about the survivors?”

“What survivors? We haven’t seen any. The ones I found at the train station are probably dead by now. What are we even fighting for at this point?”

Baekhyun didn’t answer. He flicked his compass again. “What about...you know. Are we just going to hide from them forever and let them tear the rest of the world apart?”

It was Kai’s turn to stay quiet. He turned away from his comrade to scan the empty desert, as if the answers lied somewhere beyond the sand.

Everything was too still. The air, the dried shrubbery. No animals scurried along the ground and no clouds in the sky. The only thing alive and active was the heat. Kai and Baekhyun ignored it as best they could, until dehydration forced their minds to focus on nothing but.

“We need to jump further.” Kai said, licking his dry lips.

“How far?”

“A mile.”

⬣⬣⬣

He didn’t feel ready. Baekhyun didn’t feel ready. They were malnourished, dehydrated, tired, stressed, overheating, and homesick. Kai had little to no confidence that he could make the jump by himself, let alone with Baekhyun. But, they were desperate and running out of options.

“Are you sure about this?”

“No.”

He took Baekhyun’s hand and gave it a squeeze. Now felt like a good time to get some things off his chest, in case one of them (or both) didn’t make it.

“I lied.” He confessed. “I lied about being able to jump a mile. The one time I jumped with you was the only time. I wasn’t ready.”

“I know.”

“For how long?”

“Since the start of this trip.” He held onto Kai’s arm tighter. “Just do it. I’d rather get my head taken off then die of starvation.”

Kai took a deep breath, inhaling a mixture of heat and sand. His eyelids came in contact with each other. The rocks surrounding their feet rumbled. Intense lights flashed across their vision. Baekhyun nearly gasped as the ground disappeared beneath his feet.

They floated through the white abyss for what felt like ages. Kai took a moment to look around, relax for once, take everything in. He felt Baekhyun close to his side and noticed how his head remained still.

Then, they landed a mile ahead and Baekhyun was thrown from Kai’s grip. He flew ass over teakettle, rolling through the sand until hitting a rock. Kai tumbled forward too, landing painfully on his hands and knees.

“Baekhyun? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” He groaned, pressing a hand against the bruise on his back. “I think.” The second his head lifted off the ground, vomit rose in his throat and caused him to double over as he coughed up granola and jerky.

Kai sat back, sighing to himself. Despite how terribly sick his comrade appeared, he felt content with the results. Anything was better than dead.

“Let’s go again.” Baekhyun said between coughs.

“Give yourself a minute at least.” He examined the redness in his comrade’s eyes. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’ll be fine. What about you? That’s a lot of blood.”

“What?”

“Your nose.”

Kai reached up to feel warm liquid oozing from his nostrils. The lack of awareness due to heat exhaustion prevented him from noticing. Once he did, he realized the entire front of his shirt was soaked, as well as the dirt below him.

“You’re worse than Chanyeol.” Baekhyun mumbled. His head was spinning. He couldn’t see straight anymore. The heat ate up at him and he folded inward as more of his stomach’s contents rose to his mouth.

Kai pressed his sleeve against his face to stop the blood. It pooled around him, staining his clothes, seeping into his mouth, dripping all over his hands. The air filled with the smell of iron. The scent traveled on the wind, drifting for miles.

It stretched across the desert like a blanket. Any living creature within a mile radius picked up the scent. Their instincts kicked in as they followed the invisible trail, inhaling the intoxicating smell. 

The sun rose to its highest point in the sky. Shadows danced along the sand and Kai noticed the way they moved in unnatural ways as the light bent into curves.

He suspected he might be delusional. It certainly wasn’t a stretch. Baekhyun didn’t think anything of it when he saw the way the beams of light wavered. Instead, he brushed it off and looked down at his compass.

The dial spun in circles creating a red motion blur. He looked around, ignoring the distorted rays of sun. Nothing else out of the ordinary. He flicked the compass again, but it did no good.

Then, he heard something glitch. He turned back to Kai, only to realize his comrade vanished. A puddle of blood remained in his place.

“Kai?” Baekhyun called out, stumbling to his feet. “Kai?”

No answer. Nothing but the wind whispering in his ears.

“Kai?!”

He started forward, struggling to keep his balance.

“Kai?!”

His voice echoed throughout the desert, ringing through the emptiness that stretched for miles.

⬣⬣⬣

He waited. Thinking Kai would come back. Hoping. Praying. He sat against a rock and waited. His compass went back to normal. The wind picked up and dark clouds rolled in. He would’ve been thankful for the shade had his mind not been so preoccupied with locating his comrade.

He slept alone. Kai didn’t return in the morning. Baekhyun woke up in a cold sweat, hyperventilating as his chest tightened. He jumped to his feet and looked around, straying further away from the spot he was last seen.

The compass told him he was going back the direction he came. It didn’t matter to him whether he made it back to El Dorado or reached Incheon; all he cared about was finding Kai.

The clouds disappeared. Heat surrounded him, burning his clammy skin. The wind died down. Baekhyun threw his jacket over his head again for shade.

“Kai!” He called out periodically. No one answered. He thought he heard his comrade’s voice once, but realized it was only his delusions.

He fainted a few hours before sunset. The realization dawned on him the same time as the sun. He woke up drenched in his own sweat, shaking uncontrollably. He might’ve fainted again the next day, but reality blended with illusions and made it difficult to differentiate the two.

He had no idea where he was, how far he walked, which direction he walked in, how close he was to El Dorado, what happened to his comrade. At some point in his journey, he began to question if he was still alive.

Was this a dream? Was he still walking through the desolate fields of sand? Had he ever left El Dorado? Or, was he still asleep beside Chanyeol, stuck in a never ending nightmare?

He couldn’t feel the ground under his feet anymore. His body went numb. His mind went numb. He forgot what he was doing, who or what he was looking for, if he was looking for anything.

The horizon gave way to blackness. Maybe he fainted, maybe he didn’t. He didn’t know anymore. Maybe he was still breathing. Maybe his body gave in to the heat and hunger and dehydration days ago. Maybe it wasn’t Kai who suddenly vanished into thin air. Maybe it was him who collapsed and never woke up.

⬣⬣⬣

Kai and Baekhyun were gone for about a week. To pass the time and fill the emptiness left in their place, the boys took up hobbies to distract themselves. Suho spent most of his time filling canteens even when they were well stocked on water. Chen played tic tac toe in the sand with Sehun.

Chanyeol sharpened a stick into a blade and practiced sword fighting. He didn’t have Baekhyun’s saber to train with, so he worked with what he had. Cracked walls made for good sparring partners, but Suho expressed his concern for the stability of the rickety building and advised him to move elsewhere.

He used the dry fountain instead. His stick whacked it from every side, but it put up a solid enough defense to knock the weapon out of its opponent’s hands.

“The power to wield fire and you can’t even win a fight against a fountain.” Sehun’s voice sounded from a chair further down the shore. Chanyeol stopped to glare at him, panting and sweating from his own waves of heat.

“Quit watching me and let me concentrate.” He swung the stick at the fountain’s head, resulting in the bark snapping half. Sehun couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.

“You’re not very good at this.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“You’d think after practicing for about a week, you’d see  _ some _ improvement.”

“Will you leave me alone?”

“I’m bored.”

He scoffed. “Can’t you find something better to do other than bother me? I thought you and Chen were down at the beach.”

“We were, then we got bored.”

Chanyeol tossed two halves of his stick aside and sat on the edge of the fountain. The heat gradually decreased and the salty breeze from the ocean rolled in.

“I’m gonna go grab a snack.”

“I’ll come with you.” Sehun trailed on his heels like a lost child. Chanyeol would’ve shooed him away, but lately loneliness made itself felt in Baekhyun’s absence and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t appreciate the company.

They sat outside the infirmary with bags of granola and stale bread between them. Sehun watched a mini tornado jump from his fingers, spinning it around until it gained enough speed to shoot up in the air and get carried away with the wind.

Chanyeol stared out at the desert with a longing look in his eyes. About a week. It felt longer. He wondered how his comrades were doing. If they were getting along fine, keeping themselves well fed and hydrated. If they were as close to reaching Incheon as he hoped.

He stood up to walk around for a bit, letting his mind wander. Sehun stayed close behind, though he seemed more occupied with his tornadoes than the desert. They strolled through the sand, passing dried shrubbery and scaring away lizards under rocks.

“Do you think they’re okay?” Chanyeol asked, facing away from who he directed the question at.

“Hopefully.”

“I’m afraid they were underprepared. Maybe they should’ve brought more supplies. Do you think it was enough? What if it wasn’t enough?”

“I think they can handle themselves.” He shot a tornado at Chanyeol’s back, earning a dirty look from the older.

“Six months is too long.” He continued. “This trip is too much for them.”

“They’ll be fine. They know how to take care of themselves.”

“But, what if they get hurt?”

“Then, they’ll deal with it. Have a little more faith in them, will you?”

He sighed, kicking up dirt and rocks. “I’m trying.”

His gaze fell on the emptiness stretching for miles. He walked ahead, not knowing why or where he expected to end up. The wind picked up, but he hardly noticed. He assumed Sehun’s tornadoes created the resistance.

The beating of wings caught his attention. A chicken with a broken foot fluttered to his feet, squawking and fighting against its own injury. More chickens followed with similar handicaps, all in search of food.

A group of them gathered near a rock. Feathers got caught in the wind and blew against Chanyeol’s face. He squinted against the sun, straining to see what dead animal they scavenged.

It looked bigger than most animals he’d seen. Larger than any snake or lizard. Even larger than the fox he spotted once. Too many chickens surrounded it to give him a clear view, but he caught sight of black between their wings.

“Sehun?” He called out over his shoulder.

“Yeah?”

“You see that up ahead?”

“You mean the chickens?”

“Yeah.”

“What? Are you gonna try hunting some?”

Chanyeol inched closer, crouching to avoid scaring any birds into a violent fit. “No. Looks like they found something. An animal maybe.”

“What is it?”

“I don’t know.”

One chicken picked at something on the ground, then attempted to fly away. Its departure revealed what he assumed to be fur. A goldish-white color, resembling a blooming white Dahlia. It certainly wasn’t any kind of reptile and it didn’t match the coat of a fox.

Another chicken fluttered away, scaring three of them in the process. A gap in the herd opened up and Chanyeol finally saw something he could identify.

A saber. Still in its holster. The leather straps holding it in place ripped in some areas. The handle came loose, allowing the silver blade to glimmer in the sunlight.

“Sehun!”

Sehun previously turned his back to his comrade, distracted by a tumbleweed being tormented by the wind. He wasn’t paying much attention until his name rang through his ears, said in a tone he’d never heard before. Not from Chanyeol, at least.

His head whipped around, seeing his comrade sprinting across the desert in the direction of a herd of chickens. He cupped his hands around his eyes to see beyond the blinding sunlight, but couldn’t determine what Chanyeol found from so far away.

“What?! What is it?!”

“Get over here quick!” Chanyeol’s voice strained to be heard over the long distance. It cracked and Sehun heard it, sending a wave of panic crashing down on him.

He darted across the sand, jumping over rocks and maneuvering between dead bushes. Their heavy breathing and stomping boots sent every chicken scampering to a nearby hiding spot, giving them full view of their prey.

Chanyeol dropped to his knees. His shaky fingers touched scratched and bleeding skin. His ear hovered over a pair of dry and cracked lips, listening to the shakiness flowing in and out of nostrils.

“He’s still breathing. Get back to El Dorado and get a first aid kit. Hurry!”

Sehun wasted no time. His long legs carried him across the desert as his arms pumped side to side. A cloud of dust trailed behind him. Suho noticed it from his window as he looked out at the beach.

He jogged downstairs to find Chen eating bread at the table. “What’s Sehun up to?” He asked.

“I don’t know. Why?”

“I just saw him running out past the wall. I was curious to know what you guys were doing.”

“Hey!”

They looked up at the sound of Sehun’s shouting.

“Hey! The first aid kit! Get the first aid kit!”

“What?”

“Get the fucking first aid kit!”

Chen jumped to his feet and followed Suho to the infirmary. Sehun barged through the door, covered in sweat and sucking in a gust of air.

“What happened? Is Chanyeol hurt? Where is he?” Suho asked as he fumbled with bandages.

“No...Chanyeol’s fine…” He sucked in more air. “It’s Baekhyun...We found him out in the desert.”

They gathered up all the supplies they could carry and followed Sehun past El Dorado. Suho saw a figure up ahead sitting in the dirt with his back turned. Something lied in front of him. He noticed a glimmer reflecting off a metal sword by his side.

“We got the first aid!” Sehun announced when they reached Chanyeol. They gathered around the body, examining any injuries, determining what they needed to do.

“He needs water.” Suho grabbed a canteen and yanked the lid off. “Lift his head up a little. Try not to move his neck too much.”

Chanyeol cupped one hand under Baekhyun’s head and gently picked it off the ground. Suho pressed the cap to his cracked lips and tilted it ever so slightly to allow a trickle of water to flow down his throat.

“We need to get him to a bed.” Suho said in a near whisper, as if he feared speaking too loud would wake him.

“Are you sure we can move him?” Sehun asked.

“I’m not sure. It doesn’t look like he’s broken anything. Just be gentle.”

They each attempted to grab a limb and lift him together, but couldn’t coordinate well and nearly dropped his head. To avoid injuring him more, Chanyeol pushed them aside and carried Baekhyun himself.

They took him up to his room. Chen pulled his boots off as Suho and Chanyeol removed his jacket. They cleaned up the wounds left by scavenging chickens, applied ointment to the horrible sunburn on his face, and poured a little more water past his lips.

“What do you think happened?” Sehun asked as he draped a wet rag over Baekhyun’s forehead.

“I don’t know.”

“Do you think it might’ve been…?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Do you think they ran out of supplies too soon?”

“Maybe.”

“Where’s Kai?”

Suho froze. His eyes averted to the open window, where he had a perfect view of the violent waves down by the beach. Beyond that, the desert, and saw nothing but sand and chickens.

“They were supposed to stay together.”

“It’s only been a week. How could things already have gone badly?”

“I knew something like this would happen. I knew we were rushing this.”

“They said they were ready.”

“Ready?!” Chanyeol shouted. “Does  _ this _ look ready to you?! It’s been a week and Baekhyun’s already in horrible condition. We don’t even know where the hell Kai is.”

“We’ll find him and bring him back safely. Don’t worry.”

“Don’t worry?! We found Baekhyun barely alive and stranded in the desert! What makes you think Kai will be any better?!”

Suho rubbed his temples, feeling precipitation forming in the air. “Just, calm down. We’ll figure this out.”

“What if something really bad happened?” Sehun asked, his voice smaller than usual. “What if Kai…”

“Is he going to be okay? Will Baekhyun be okay?” Chen looked to his bed ridden comrade.

“I-I don’t know.”

“Will we be okay? What if... _ they _ find us. What if they got Kai?”

“Please, stop panicking-”

“Something really bad happened to Kai, didn’t it? W-we might not ever see him again.”

“No, don’t think like th-”

“What if Baekhyun doesn’t make it? What are we gonna do? How are we ever going to get to Incheon? What about the train? What about the survivors?”

“We’ve hardly had any training. How are we supposed to protect ourselves? What’s the plan? Suho, what are we supposed to do now?”

“Stop!” Thunder cracked outside and a torrent of rain crashed down on El Dorado. The water seeped in through the window, covering the floor in puddles.

“I don’t know what happened or what we’re going to do about it! I don’t know how to fix this, so please stop turning to me for answers! I don’t know!”

The others went quiet. Chanyeol sat down on the edge of the bed, rubbing Baekhyun’s leg. Sehun sat in a chair beside him and kept his head low. Chen went up to the window to watch the rain pouring outside.

“I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what’s going to happen to us.” Suho said quietly, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes.

⬣⬣⬣

It rained the entire day. Chanyeol didn’t leave his room once. He sat by the window to listen to the storm as Baekhyun lied unconscious beside him. The others checked in once in a while to see if he woke, and tried convincing Chanyeol to step away for a minute and eat.

He couldn’t be moved. Sehun informed him that they planned to look for Kai as soon as Suho blew off some steam and the rain died down, then left him alone for the rest of the day.

Chanyeol had his elbows up on the bed, his fingers laced together, and his forehead resting on his knuckles. He closed his eyes to pray. Pray to what? He didn’t know. Being seen as a god himself made it hard to believe in another.

He prayed nonetheless. There was nothing else he could do. They treated Baekhyun’s wounds, gave him as much water as someone could drink while unconscious, tucked him into bed to rest. It was up to Baekhyun now whether he woke or not.

But, praying wouldn’t hurt. It made Chanyeol feel somewhat useful, like he was helping him in some way. In reality, it did nothing but temporarily trick him into thinking he could wish away all of his problems.

The rain didn’t let up by sundown. Chanyeol climbed into bed beside Baekhyun and dozed off to the sound of droplets against the roof. He put a blanket over the window to keep the water out, but it hardly stood up against the wind.

His head pressed against Baekhyun’s shoulder and one arm draped over his bruised torso. Leveled breathing filled his ears. He smiled to himself; a weak, pitiful gesture.

“Please wake up.” He whispered against Baekhyun’s arm. “Please. I need you to be okay. I need to know what happened. Please wake up, Baekhyun.”

No response, not that he expected one. Just the sound of the beating rain, wind whipping through cracks in the walls, thunder rumbling up above. Despite the chaos ensuing outside, Chanyeol found it easier to sleep that night. Knowing he had Baekhyun with him again finally put him at ease.

He slept so well, the sun didn’t wake him the next morning. He had his back turned to the window, his face buried in Baekhyun’s side. Chen passed by his room and briefly knocked on the door frame to wake him up, but the sound never broke through his deep sleep.

Squawking chickens, waves gently rolling onto the beach, a breeze whipping around the blanket on his window. It all went unheard, failing to interrupt whatever pleasant dream he lost himself in.

He felt movement beneath the sheets and shifted to accommodate Baekhyun’s change in position. The shoulder his head rested on pulled out from under him. He blindly reached out to pull it back. The arm lodged between the two of them slid its way to freedom and moved the sheets away from his face.

His eyes flickered open. Once adjusted to the light, he saw a hand rising up to Baekhyun’s forehead and pulling the wet rag down. It took him a moment to realize that it wasn’t his own hand, and no one else was in the room.

“Baekhyun!” His head shot up. “Baekhyun, can you hear me? It’s Chanyeol. You’re back at El Dorado. You’re safe again.”

Baekhyun’s eyes couldn’t pry themselves open, but his lips managed to move apart. Chanyeol leaned down to listen to wisps of breath escaping his mouth. There were words forming on his tongue, but he couldn’t make out what they were.

“Baekhyun? Come on, talk to me.”

“R-” He lips twitched as he pieced together a sentence. Chanyeol squeezed his hand, as if to encourage him to keep going.

“Raise…”

“What? Baekhyun, I can’t understand you. How about some water?” He reached down to grab the canteen off the floor and poured a little into his mouth. “Is that better? Try again.”

“Raise-”

He leaned in closer. “What?”

“R-raise the...black flag.” His voice cracked as he cleared his throat. “Raise the black flag. They’re here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooh, I'm so excited to write these upcoming chapters! Let the battle begin


	7. Chapter: 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raise the black flag

_ Mokpo, South Korea _

_ El Dorado _

_ April 14th _

_ 8:16 _

“Should we…?”

“Don’t.”

Chanyeol caught Sehun by the shoulder and pulled him back. They stood at the edge of the sand with their backs to El Dorado, staring out at the beach below. Harsh winds crashed against their faces, stinging their eyes. The sound of cloth whipping through the air filled their ears.

Sehun turned back to look at the source of the noise. Up above, on the highest roof of El Dorado, a black flag with a single white stripe moved with the wind. The poll bent dangerously sideways, threatening to come loose from it’s hold.

Suho stood beside it, looking out at the desert. A drizzle of rain sprinkled down on them. The dark clouds moved in unnatural ways, spinning with the motion of Chen’s finger out by the cliff.

He turned back to the beach, following Chanyeol’s gaze. “Why not?”

“I don’t think now is a good time.”

“When is a good time? They’re here; we don’t  _ have _ time anymore.”

Chanyeol sighed, blinking rapidly against the wind. “Honestly, I don’t think I want to know.”

“We need to know. Come on.” He started down the hill, prompting his comrade to follow with a nod. They went down to the water and took off their boots to dip their toes in, as if to hide their true intentions.

“Say something.” Sehun said out of the corner of his mouth.

“Why me? This was your idea.”

“You know why. Just go over there.”

The distance between where he stood and the spot where they set up target practice felt like miles. He started forward with his boots in hand and his head low. Sehun gave him a pat on the back then turned the other way, assuming they needed privacy.

Chanyeol stopped short and watched. Baekhyun sensed his presence. He didn’t acknowledge him. His saber gently glided through the air as his feet slid into position in the sand. He had his eyes closed and his back turned.

Chanyeol watched with adoration, studying the way he danced with the movements of his sword effortlessly. They moved as one, using the wind as a guide rather than fighting against it. It seemed to pick him up off the ground, allowing him to float on his feet with the weight of a feather.

In mere seconds, he spun around following his right hand and the tip of his saber pressed against the side of Chanyeol’s neck. He didn’t flinch. Baekhyun opened his eyes and dropped his weapon.

“Can we talk?”

Silence followed. They stared at each other without a word. A pair of eyes ran over every scar, bruise, and bandage covering what little skin Baekhyun felt comfortable enough showing. His face turned a light shade of pink under his gaze.

“No.”

“Please?”

His mouth went dry and his tongue ran over the peeling skin on his lips. “What do you want me to say?”

He already knew. Chanyeol knew he already knew. But, the question posed as a stall, giving Baekhyun a second longer to avoid this ongoing interrogation.

“I want to know what happened.”

“I’d rather not talk about it.”

“But, we need to know. Kai is missing and we have no idea why or how.” He grabbed Baekhyun’s hand. “Please?”

He shook his head. “We were underprepared.”

“Can you be a little more specific?”

“We lost all of our supplies.”

“How?”

“I don’t know.”

Chanyeol nodded, pretending as if that made sense to him. “And then what?”

“We jumped a mile.”

“And?”

“And-” He stopped. Chanyeol lowered his head so they were eye level. He saw something flicker behind his comrade’s eyes, like his brain suddenly shut down and he stood paralyzed.

“And then what, Baekhyun?”

“I’d rather not talk about it.”

“Please, Baekhyun. What happened after you jumped a mile?”

Tightness formed in his chest. His lungs strained to take in air. Chanyeol noticed him tense up and rubbed the back of his hand for comfort.

“I-I’m not sure.” His voice sounded noticeably shakier. “I’m not sure. Is this real?”

“Is what real?”

“This.” He gestured between them, then to El Dorado. “This, all of it. I’m afraid I might be dreaming. I don’t know if...if I made it out.”

His eyes rapidly moved side to side, panic flashing across his face. The saber once secured tightly in his hand dropped into the sand. The trembling in his body made it hard to stay balanced.

“I don’t know what’s happened. I don’t know where Kai is. Am I breathing right now? Is this real?”

Chanyeol reached out to steady him, planting a firm grip on his shoulders. “Hey, calm down. It’s okay. This is real. All of this is real.”

Strangely, the rain came down harder as Baekhyun’s breathing quickened. Chanyeol didn’t pay much attention to it, directing all of his focus towards the distraught pair of eyes staring back at him.

“I think I’m dreaming.”

“No, this is real, Baekhyun.”

“When we jumped a mile,” The rain came down harder, falling into his eyes. He rubbed droplets away with the back of his hand. “We only jumped a mile once. Kai wasn’t ready. I...I must be dreaming.”

“I don’t understand.” He jumped when thunder cracked above his head. Baekhyun flinched too, squeezing his eyes shut.

“What happened after you jumped a mile?”

“Chanyeol!” Sehun’s voice sounded from a distance. He didn’t acknowledge him.

“He disappeared.” Baekhyun’s face went blank at the thought. “I was laying in the dirt and when I looked back, he was gone. There was blood-”

“Blood? Was he hurt?”

“It was a nosebleed. We jumped too far. I’m afraid I might’ve…”

“Chanyeol!”

“What happened after he disappeared?”

“I might’ve kept walking. I don’t know. There was darkness. I saw shadows. The way the light moved-”

“Chanyeol!” Sehun turned him around with enough force to nearly knock him over. “Suho wants us back inside. He’s seen something.”

“Where?”

“Out in the desert. It’s got him all worked up.” He shouted over the sound of beating rain. “Get inside before he loses his mind.”

Chanyeol squeezed Baekhyun’s hand, snatched his saber off the ground, and followed Sehun up the hill at an increasing pace. Chen waited in the door frame, ushering them inside.

“Upstairs.” He told them.

They found Suho in his room, where he normally filled canteens and escaped for time alone. Only, his chair had been overturned and his table leaned against the wall as a makeshift door. Suho himself looked just as disoriented with his red mop of hair and clothes a soaking mess and his head leaning dangerously far out the window.

“What’d you see?” Chen asked.

“Come here.” Suho grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer. A shaky finger stretched past the window pane, directing towards something off in the distance. “See anything?”

Chen squinted past heavy drops of water. “Just sand.”

“Exactly. There’s nothing there.”

“So…”

“But, I saw footsteps.”

They didn’t say anything.

“There were footsteps; I saw them through the binoculars. There’s no one there, but I saw footsteps moving along the sand.”

“They must be gone now. You probably washed them away with the rain.”

“I know.” He leaned out the window again. “But look; the rain is hitting something. Can you see it? The way the water bounces off of something that doesn’t appear to be there?”

They all leaned closer (minus Baekhyun) to get a better look. They couldn’t see the way the water moved like Suho could, especially not with the wind carrying droplets with it. But, Sehun felt movement in the air. The shifting, swirling, disarray of currents that hovered over his head.

“The air.”

“What about it?”

“It’s shifting.”

“Do you think it’s Kai? Did he make it back?” Chen threw himself over the window pane to watch the desert for his arrival.

“It must be Kai.” His voice dropped an octave lower. “But, I don’t know which one.”

“Do you smell that?” Chanyeol tilted his chin up. “That’s smoke.”

“I don’t see any fires burning. Not in this downpour anyways.”

“What’s the plan?” Chen asked, masking the panic in his voice with a misplaced snort. “I mean once they show up. What are we going to do?”

No one spoke up. Only the sound of rain and a small voice broke through the silence. Chanyeol turned to the sound, finding Baekhyun alone by the door, muttering to himself.

“I must be dreaming…”

“What can we do?” Suho laughed, sounding maniacal and, mentally, a little distant. “They come to us, we fight. I mean, what else can we do?”

“Suho, we’ve barely had any training.” Any attempt at hiding his concern fleeted in an instant. Chen stepped forward, stabbing a finger at the window. “They’re here, Suho. What the fuck do we do?”

“Are they?” Chanyeol spoke up. “How do we know-” The volume he spoke at dropped suddenly. “That Baekhyun isn’t just a little...delusional?”

All eyes landed on their comrade by the door. He felt their gazes burning through his skull and looked up to meet their stares.

“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol inched closer. “Did you really see them? Or, did you just think it was them?”

His eyelids flickered as the memories flashed across his mind. “It must have been them. It had to…”

“You mean you never actually  _ saw _ them?”

“I don’t know.”

Chanyeol turned back to the others, letting his response speak for itself. Suho stuck his head out the window again, searching for any indications that his comrade hadn’t lost his mind.

“I really am dreaming, aren’t I?”

“What could’ve happened then?” Sehun asked, turning to Chanyeol for an answer.

“He said they lost their supplies. It must’ve been hunger, dehydration, the heat. He must’ve been seeing things.”

“Then how do you explain this?” Chen gestured to the window. “The footprints, the smoke, the air, Kai disappearing. Are we going crazy too?”

“Look!” Suho nearly fell out the window as he craned his head to lock his gaze on the beach. “Do you guys see that? Over there, by the cliffs.”

“What is it?”

“An animal?”

“That’s no animal.” He pushed past the others and ran out the door. They followed him down to the shore, where monstrous waves came crashing down on the sand and a strong wind nearly knocked them over.

“Is that…?”

“That’s a backpack.” Suho stepped forward and shielded his eyes from the rain to get a better look. “That’s Kai’s backpack!”

In an instant, they darted forward, kicking up sand and nearly tripping over their own feet. The wind pushed harder against them in an attempt to hold them back. They got to their hands and knees, finding it easier to move against the resistance when lower to the ground.

“Kai!” Suho called out as he reached for the backpack. There was a response, but not from Kai, and Suho froze at the sound of it.

“Don’t touch it!” Baekhyun screamed against the booming thunder. Suho’s hand hovered above one of the straps, not daring to move any further.

Baekhyun held his saber with both hands, extending the trembling blade from his body and towards the bag. The tip moved down until it was pointing at the backpack, then to Suho’s eyes.

“Get away from it.”

“Why?”

He had no answer. It didn’t make sense to him; the backpack disappears one morning, then his comrade, and only one returns. It could’ve been a dream, he kept telling himself, but even his own delusions couldn’t be trusted.

He kicked the backpack over, hearing the metal canteens clinking together inside.

“Baekhyun, it’s just a backpack.” Chanyeol reassured him.

“Why is it here? Where did it come from? Something’s...something’s not right.” With hesitation, he wrapped his fingers around the strap and picked the bag out of the sand. The saber fell from his grip and his newly freed hand touched the bottom of the bag.

“It’s heavier than when our trip started.”

Then, he chucked it into the ocean and watched it get swept away by the waves, sinking to the darkness below. Suho felt it moving with the currents. He decided not to fish it out.

“I don’t understand.”

Baekhyun looked down at his hands, realizing a streak of blood smeared onto his right one. The color drained from his face. Shadows of memories moved across his brain, distorted from his frequent delusions.

“It’s heavier than when we started.” He repeated, before his eyes rolled back in his head and his back connected with the ground.

⬣⬣⬣

Suho went back up to the roof to resume his position as scout. Chen watched from below, mainly focused on the beach. Sehun went out by the cliffs to see if any other items popped up out of thin air. Chanyeol stayed inside to watch over Baekhyun as he slept.

Besides an occasional whiff of smoke, the wind changing directions here and there, and the sunlight that poked through the clouds wavering a little, they saw nothing unusual. No other signs of their presence. Nothing worth raising any concern over.

Suho convinced himself it was their own paranoia stalking the deserts. Worry kept him up at night and sleep deprivation made for an active imagination. Not to mention, the weather was especially dreadful when he had something to stress over.

Whatever happened to Baekhyun out in the desert, he hadn’t quite recovered from it. The blur between hallucinations and reality convinced all of them they were in danger. Suho scolded himself for feeding into it rather than seeing how much Baekhyun hadn’t mentally healed yet.

But, it brought up the question; what really happened to Kai? After the incident on the beach, he had an underlying suspicion that Baekhyun might’ve known, but either didn’t believe it or didn’t want to, suppressing the memories instead.

But, the backpack reappeared out of nowhere and it still didn’t make sense to him. The confusion clouding his head gave him the motivation he needed to stand beside the black flag until sundown, determined to find answers.

The moon peeked through dark clouds, reflecting light off the ocean surface. The water calmed down and the violent waves reduced to ripples of water inching up the sand. Suho sat down with his legs dangling over the edge of the roof, dozing off to the sound of calm waters.

Chen and Sehun went to bed. The clouds dissipated and the wind died down. Suho couldn’t smell smoke anymore, and the only distortion of moonlight was in it’s reflection. Perhaps they really were letting Baekhyun’s hallucinations get the best of them.

He thought he should take down the flag. It signified preparation, letting danger know that they were ready. They couldn’t be ambushed, attacked, killed. They were ready for anything.

But, he saw nothing to be ready for. Nothing appeared all day but a backpack and footprints (though he doubted they were real).  _ They _ hadn’t shown themselves. The flag felt unnecessary.

After consideration, he chose to leave it up. In case they attacked in the dead of night, in case Kai lost his way and needed something to reassure him that he made it back home. Suho leaned his head against the poll and fell asleep, dreaming about his comrade’s return.

⬣⬣⬣

Chanyeol had his eyes closed, but couldn’t fall asleep. Too many thoughts flooded his mind, and clearing his head enough to relax proved near impossible. Instead, he sat with his back against the bedpost and a hand on the back of Baekhyun’s head. Soft snores resonated throughout the room. It was almost enough to put him to sleep.

Then, Baekhyun rolled over and Chanyeol opened his eyes for the first time since he sat down. The sun vanished below the horizon much to his surprise. He hadn’t realized how long he dozed off for.

“It’s been hours.” Baekhyun commented. “I thought I was asleep for a couple minutes.”

“How are you feeling?” Chanyeol sat up straight and pushed his beret up so it no longer hung in his eyes.

“I’m fine.”

“What happened?”

“I...felt dizzy.”

The image of the backpack popped into Chanyeol’s mind again. The blood smeared on Baekhyun’s hand. The sight of it floating away with the waves. None of it made any sense to him.

Baekhyun sensed unspoken questions lingering between them and tried changing the subject before Chanyeol mustered up the energy to ask.

“Have the others seen anything?”

“Guess not. They haven’t reported back to me.”

“That’s good. Maybe I was wrong.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” He looked down at his comrade. “What did you see out there? Out in the desert.”  
Baekhyun sighed. “I don’t want to talk about this again.”

“I’m sorry for bothering you with so many questions, but I need to understand. What exactly happened?”

“I don’t know.” His voice rose without meaning to. “It’s all a blur. I wasn’t in the best state of mind.”

“It was one week. What could’ve happened in such a short amount of time?”

“I told you we lost our supplies.”

“And then they show up on the beach again and you chuck it in the water.” He gently touched the side of Baekhyun’s face. “Why?”

“I...I wasn’t in the best state of mind. What I remember must’ve been a dream.”

“Well, not all of it could have been a dream if Kai really is missing. You remembered that, right?”

It took a minute for him to speak again, and Chanyeol didn’t know what to think of that.

“I thought I heard him once, after he went missing. I thought I saw him too.” He closed his eyes when the image returned. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes. “Please tell me I’m dreaming…”

“What do you mean?”

The tears broke through his eyelashes, staining his cheeks red. “I couldn’t have walked all that way in such a short amount of time. I must not have...imagined things…”

“What are you trying to say?” Chanyeol propped himself up on his knees in anticipation. It never crossed his mind that Baekhyun made it back to El Dorado in an impossibly short amount of time if he went on foot. He never stopped to think how Baekhyun made it back so soon.

“I saw them.” He finally admitted. “I thought maybe I was going crazy...no, I saw one of them. I saw Kai. I thought-” He shook his head. “I blacked out and when I woke up, I saw him. Sitting on a rock up ahead. He was…”

“What?”

“Eating? A chicken, or-” He cut himself off with a laugh. “I think I’m losing my mind…”

“No, keep going.”

“I don’t know, he was far away. He was just sitting and eating a chicken and I stopped to watch and then he stood up and...he had Kai’s backpack on. He said to me…”

“What?”

“It’s heavier than when you started.” More tears fell from his eyes, dripping down his chin and into his lap. “And then I might’ve fainted. It felt like a dream. I might’ve been dreaming. I really don’t know.”

Chanyeol meant to inquire further, but a whistling from beyond the window pane pulled his attention elsewhere. Baekhyun’s hand slipped into his, giving it an uncomfortably tight squeeze.

“That whistling. I’ve heard it before.”

“Stay here.” Chanyeol threw the sheets back and leaned out the window. Up above, he saw Suho standing on the edge of the roof. The black flag waved beside him. He heard another whistle and saw something streak across the night sky.

“What is it?” Baekhyun asked quietly.

Chanyeol didn’t answer. He backed away from the window, standing on the balls of his feet to minimize the amount of noise he made. Something was wrong. He could feel it.

⬣⬣⬣

He was convinced he was dreaming. When he heard the familiar sound of something glitching, he could’ve sworn it was only a product of sleep. But, the small puff of air that hit his face as a result felt real. The rock that hit him in the head felt pretty damn real too.

Suho’s head shot up and his fingers ran through red hair to feel for any blood. The rock thrown lied beside the flag; small enough not to cause any severe damage, big enough to hurt like a bitch.

He stood up on the edge of the building and looked out at the horizon. The moon held its position in the sky and the sun wouldn’t threaten to replace it anytime soon. The water didn’t move. Not even a ripple from a fish swimming by or the breeze sweeping across the desert.

Suho picked up a ball of water and dropped it to break the stillness. The surface remained still, resembling a mirror.

Then, he heard a whistle like the tweeting of a bird. Birds didn’t chirp at night. Chicken didn’t chirp at all. It didn’t sound like the wind.

Another whistle, only this time it wasn’t produced by any living creature. The sound of a thin, lightweight object cutting through the air, followed by a thump as the sharp end of an arrow struck the concrete inches away from the tip of Suho’s boot.

Panic set in. He jumped down the stairs and sprinted through empty halls, his footsteps bouncing off the walls. Chen woke up first. He poked his head out the door frame and caught sight of his leader coming down a flight of stairs.

“What’s going o-”

Suho slapped a hand over his mouth and pushed him into his room. “They’re here.” He whispered. “I’m sure of it this time.”

They ran to Sehun’s room and yanked the blankets back as they informed him of the situation in hushed voices. They kept their heads low whenever passing windows, in case another arrow launched itself their way.

Another whistle. Suho dug his toes in the ground to stop himself and his comrades did the same. It came from up above. Directly above their heads. Sehun felt the air shift.

“He’s on the second floor.”

Stomping boots paced the ceiling with an irregular rhythm.  _ Thump, thump, thump,  _ then it stopped for a second,  _ tha-thump, thump thump, thump _ , another pause, then it repeated.

The trio continued forward. As soon as they reached Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s room, Chen slipped inside as the other two stood guard.

Chanyeol stepped away from the window with fear in his eyes. “Is something happening?”

“There here. Inside the building. Hurry.”

Just as the last word left his mouth, an arrow flew through the window and lodged it’s head into a crack in the wall. Chen ducked on instinct, crashing into the side of the bed.

“Baekhyun, get up.” Chanyeol demanded, forgetting to whisper. His comrade hardly had time to slip his shoes on before he was dragged out from under the sheets and shoved into the hallway.

“What now?” Sehun whispered.

Suho gathered the residue from the rain to form a ball of water. “We wait.”

Two painfully long minutes passed and nobody moved. El Dorado fell silent, filled with only the sound of cockroaches scurrying across cement.

The entire world went still. The ocean, the air, the animals. Suho’s eyes flickered to the window, catching sight of smoke rising up to the height of the entire building. The smell suffocated them. Heat rose on the back of their necks.

“Get down!” Someone shouted. It was hard to say who with so much commotion surrounding them. The world resumed speed as they dropped to their knees and cupped their hands behind their heads.

A ball of orange and red heat blasted through the walls and erupted into an explosion of sparks and smoke. Bricks came loose from their plaster. A pillar completely crumbled to the floor in a pile of debris.

The fire crept towards whatever source could keep it alive. Flames found their way to Chanyeol’s feet, climbed up his legs, and reached out to his fingertips until his entire body went up in flames.

Suho dropped his ball of water. Scrambling boots ran him over as he gathered up any drops that hadn’t succumbed to the heat. What was left; a drop big enough to extinguish Chanyeol’s shoelace.

“Get outside!” It sounded like Sehun. Whoever said it didn’t matter to them. They crawled beneath clouds of smoke and around patches of fire. Some of them made it down the stairs. The others jumped through the windows.

Chen stumbled into the courtyard, gathering lightning in the palm of his hand. The static in the air reached any metal surfaces nearby. Baekhyun just so happened to be holding his saber when a bolt struck the sand, sending shocks through his right arm and knocking him off his feet.

“Show yourself!” Chen shouted. Another bolt of lightning struck the ground and launched chunks of rocks shooting through the air.

Sehun fell from a window, landing painfully on his back. He hissed when a rock came in contact with his spine, then hollered when something sharp hit his foot.

The pain was like nothing he’d ever experienced. It made itself felt before Sehun could process that he felt anything. His head lifted off the ground, catching sight of the butt of an arrow above his knees.

His shaking fingers brushed against the feathers decorating the dull end. His breath hitched when his foot flexed without intention, tightening around the point.

Dizziness overcame him when he yanked it out and blood gushed out with it. Blurriness clouded his vision. His head lolled to the side, tilting up at the cliffs where the archer stood. He drew his bow. Sehun’s body couldn’t react in time to dodge the arrow that punctured his shoulder.

“Sehun!” The voice rang through his ears. He couldn’t determine who it belonged to. By the time a pair of hands grabbed hold of him, his vision went black.

⬣⬣⬣

Chanyeol flung his arms around like mad, spreading more fire than he realized. In his flustered driven fit, his feet lost track of their function and tripped over each other. He dove head first down the stairs, long legs thrown into the air as he rolled into the sand.

The moment he regained balance, a ball of fire flew his way. It struck him in the face, causing his head to jerk back and his feet to slip out from under him.

He blinked blurriness from his eyes and sat up. A pair of red eyes stared back at him, hidden from the moonlight in the shadows of the cliffs. A ball of fire formed in his palm, illuminating one side of his face.

Chanyeol stumbled to his feet and positioned himself the way Baekhyun stood during training. Strength came from your legs, he reminded himself, but that didn’t seem to apply to his opponent.

One fiery arm swung forward, launching more balls of heat at his face. Chanyeol jumped to the side, falling into a bush and setting the entire bunch of shrubbery on fire. The flames jumped from branch to branch until it reached the beach, where Suho ran to for water.

He buried his nose in his elbow to avoid inhaling smoke as he jumped over the crumbling bushes. Waves built up on the surface of the ocean. They reached further up the beach, coming close to Suho’s boots.

His hands flew above his head to carry a wave with it, but something from behind stopped the water from reaching far enough. It fell backwards, coming in contact with another incoming wave and sinking them both to the ocean floor.

Another whistle. Suho whipped around to find a figure concealed in darkness lurking behind him. A silhouette, standing at the same height as himself. His shoulders appeared slightly broader from the coat he wore and his eyes shined a little brighter. He tucked his hands in the pockets of his pants, shifting his weight onto one leg. Atop his head, Suho made out the outline of horns.

“That flag,” He spoke suddenly. It was the first time Suho heard any of them speak. The familiarity in his voice sent shivers down his spine.

“What is it for?”

He opened his mouth to speak, but couldn’t find the right words. The silhouette laughed at the sight of him gawking, shaking his head.

“Close your mouth. You look like a fool.” He turned back to watch the flag beating against the wind. “What’s it for?”

“A warning.” Suho choked out, losing feeling in his entire body.

“What are you trying to warn us about?”

“That we’re ready.”

He laughed again, making Suho tense up. “Ready? All this time spent out here, and you trained two days. I saw how you made fools of yourselves. Don’t take me for an idiot, Junmyeon.”

Suho took a few steps back. His mind told him this wasn’t real, but his body believed otherwise. He would’ve made a run for it if his brain could function properly long enough to give him the push.

The shadowy figure cocked his head when he noticed the distance between them growing. A  _ tsk tsk _ sound fell from his lips, like a parent scolding his child. “Leaving so soon? What for?”

Thunder cracked and rain poured down on their heads, flattening the horns on the silhouette’s head.

“Are you going to kill me?” Suho asked with no real reason why.

“Suppose I do. Then what?”

“Then, I die, of course.”

“And then what?”

“And then…” He decided not to finish, not knowing what answer he was looking for.

“I value my life.” He continued, now pacing. “I guess that means I value yours too, but let’s not complicate things. I don’t care about you, Junmyeon. If it were up to me, I’d of had your head by now.”

“I-I don’t understand.”

He chuckled. “Leave it be, Junmyeon.” He stuck his hand out to feel the rain. “I take it you already have enough to stress over.”

And with that, he started up the beach, casually passing the chaos unfolding in the courtyard with his hands in his pockets and a grin on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> x-exo's here, y'all! it's finally happening


	8. Chapter: 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath

_ Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada _

_ NEO Zone (Red Force Sub-Base) _

_ April 15th _

_ 7:27 _

Humming machines made for relaxing white noise that would’ve put the girls to sleep if Miss Joohyun wouldn’t catch them slipping at the most convenient of times. Joy always imagined NEO Zone would be less stressful than Red Force Base, considering it was only a sub-base and much smaller than their headquarters.

She didn’t take into account her boss being there too, as well as every other employee who didn’t lose their heads in the apocalypse’s prime. And when Wendy mentioned hot meals, Joy imagined the cafeteria must be so much nicer than the dingy lunch room she once ate in with Yeri.

But, Seulgi made it very clear upon their arrival that NEO Zone wasn’t close to the oasis Red Force Base employees made it out to be. For one, the weather in Vancouver sucked ass (as Wendy put it) and most of the winter they spent snowed in and ill with cabin fever.

Then, spring came around and Joy and Yeri anticipated a change of atmosphere. Flowers bloomed and animals came out of hibernation, and for a moment they enjoyed the scenery of the lively mountain. But, allergies had a habit of killing the mood, and the girls found themselves locked inside again.

Then, there was work, which Joohyun piled on by the minute. If ËXØ taught them anything, it was that being too overconfident in their work might be catastrophic. To avoid another devastation, Joohyun encouraged them (no, forced using threats of violence) to take more time to check for mistakes.

Once she made a sly comment in regards to failed attempt number one and failed attempt number two, and Yeri and Joy became the butt of every joke ever since. No one mentioned that Wendy traveled to and from Korea and Canada to assist in experiments, or that Seulgi was supervisor for equipment transportation.

NEO Zone employees had a much different sense of humor than what Yeri and Joy were used to. A bunch of kooky scientists playing silly pranks like five year olds heavily contrasted the blunt, dry humor they became accustomed to.

No wonder their projects were so bizarre, the girls thought. While Red Force Base worked towards destroying EXO, NEO Zone made dream simulations and AI avatars with a weirdly good sense of fashion.

Yeri had to wonder why Miss Joohyun obsessed over NEO Zone as much as she did. She always took an interest in their projects more than any other, perhaps because of the advancements in technology.

Red Force Base’s old software sent them back fifteen years, and Joy made it routine to complain about it. Going to NEO Zone promised the opportunity for an upgrade, not harassment from the boss and second hand embarrassment from hyperactive co-workers.

But, Joohyun never missed an opportunity to remind them that if ËXØ hadn’t torn Korea apart, they wouldn’t have to suffer through her daily lectures. Red Force Base went up in flames (metaphorically, though it was understandable why some NEO employees thought otherwise) and Joohyun didn’t need the same to happen to her precious sub-base.

As a result, the girls spent extra hours in their offices, going through coding and programming and unorganized files on their desktops that somebody kept messing up because they couldn’t export files properly for the life of them.

Joohyun assigned them the task of logging into Red Force’s database to recover everything abandoned at headquarters. NEO’s technology should have been able to tap into the cloud to retrieve it, but something kept interfering with the signal and triggered whatever ridiculously complicated security protocols Wendy just so happened to install herself.

But, not even she could figure out how to get past her own restrictions. From sunrise till sunset, the girls pulled their hair out trying to log in and might’ve broken a few pens whenever an error message popped up with a smiley face just to mock them.

That morning, they fell asleep with their heads on their desks to the sound of humming machines because getting to their beds without Joohyun catching them leaving work early was next to impossible. Of course, so was sleeping in the office without her knowing, hence why they jumped awake when a ruler slammed against a desk.

“What are you all doing?”

They answered with yawns, brief eye rolls, and poorly executed enthusiasm. “Just getting back to work, Miss Joohyun.”

“I assigned you this months ago. How hard is it to access the files?”

Wendy lifted her head with a sigh and wiped drool from the corner of her mouth. “We can’t get past the security protocols.”

“You mean the ones  _ you  _ installed?”

“Yeah, but something’s interfering. I can’t find the problem unless I fly back to Korea myself and log into the system.”

“Let me see.” Joohyun kicked a chair out and sat before the monitor, staring at a blue screen. The girls rolled their swivel chairs around her as Wendy logged in and navigated to the cloud.

“What am I looking at right now?” She put her glasses on and squinted at the screen.

“This is where all of our data is stored. I should be able to access whatever we lost by logging into the system via simple passwords, but the stupid thing decided not to work.” She typed the password in, earning another obnoxious error code.

“Are you putting the password in right?”

“Yes, I’ve put it in a million times.”

“Let me try.” She grabbed the keyboard from Wendy’s grasp. “What’s the password?”

“All caps, Z-I-M-Z-A-L-A-B-I-M, hashtag, 8, 01, 14.”

“What kind of password is that?”

“It was two o’clock in the morning and I’d been setting up the system all night. At least it’s not easy to guess.”

Another error code popped up. “Clearly it is if something’s corrupted the system. Do you have any idea what the problem is?”

“It could be a hacker.” Yeri suggested. “Maybe some scavengers got into headquarters and messed with the computers. Red Force Base’s security forces are down, you know.”

“I doubt it.” Wendy said as she spammed the keyboard again. “The chances of anyone finding it  _ and _ knowing how to operate the equipment is slim.”

“It must be some kind of virus.” Joy said.

“But, how did it download one?” Seugli asked. “Someone had to have done it by hand after we left.”

“Who? There’s no one left in Korea who knows where Red Force Base is or how to corrupt the system.”

“Except-”

“Except?” They turned to Yeri.

“None of Red Force’s employees are still in Korea, but everything else was left behind. Even the experiments.”

“Are you saying…”

All eyes fell on Joohyun when she slammed her hand down and let out an exaggerated laugh. “Are you kidding me?! Were you not the one who told me that they would never outsmart us?! And, now they’re downloading viruses on  _ my _ computers?!”

“I’m not sure, but it is a possibility.”

“There’s gotta be a way we can access the security footage and see what’s going on at headquarters.” Wendy rolled her chair to the adjacent computer. Her fingers moved at lightning speed across the keys, logging into another program Joohyun couldn’t identify.

“What are you doing now?”

“Going into security files to see if I can find the footage. This virus might not have blocked everything.” She selected an icon that popped up in the corner of the screen and put in the password. Seconds later, a loading sign appeared, followed by folders occupied by mp4 files.

“Is that it?”

“Looks like it.”

“It doesn’t make sense,” Joy stood up to lean over Wendy’s computer. “Why can we access these files but not any others?”

Wendy opened up the most recent file and played the footage from a day ago. The fuzzy picture showed empty hallways, empty rooms, computers with no power. The girls squinted at the screen, looking for any signs of movement.

“Look there.” Seulgi tapped the upper right corner. “The maze.”

“The lights are on.” Yeri commented. “04 never was fond of the dark.”

“It must be them.” Wendy said under her breath. “They fucking hacked into my system and downloaded some kind of virus. Wonderful.”

⬣⬣⬣

_ Mokpo, South Korea _

_ El Dorado _

_ April 15th _

_ 4:19 _

Chen stood at the edge of the cliff with a pair of binoculars in hand. He meant to look out for any sign of danger, but his attention drew towards the ocean and the way the water moved. No waves. Hardly any movement. He looked down at the beach to find Suho sitting with his boots off and his pants rolled up. He didn’t appear to be meditating, but the stillness of the water led Chen to believe otherwise.

“Anything?” A voice from behind asked. He turned around to find Chanyeol approaching him with his head low and the beret casting shadows over his eyes. It made his heart jump seeing his comrade covered in scorch marks and partly hidden in darkness. He looked no different from the monsters lurking mere hours ago.

“Nothing.” He responded, handing the binoculars to Chanyeol so he could take a look himself. “They’ve completely vanished.”

“Where do you think they could’ve gone?”

He shrugged. “Crawling back to their place in hell.”

They heard footsteps and turned around to find Baekhyun hiking up the cliff. He walked up to the edge without a word, staring down at the water below with a hint of some unidentifiable emotion in his eyes. Chanyeol’s mouth twitched with the intention to speak, but his brain couldn’t find the right words to say.

“No sign of them.” He said to fill the silence. They pretended not to notice their comrade beside them, as if Baekhyun couldn’t already sense the discomfort surrounding them like the salty breeze blowing in from the ocean. He didn’t mind being ignored, as long as they didn’t harass him with questions.

He hated when they brought up what happened, partially because he didn’t have all the answers, mostly because he wanted to forget. His head clouded with what he thought he remembered and what he didn’t want to remember, confusing him more than he confused the others.

Something new popped into his mind whenever he searched too deep, and he couldn’t determine if it was a product of nightmares or reality. Either way, they haunted him, to the point where he lost anything tangible to believe in. Even the ground beneath his feet felt like a lie.

“We’ll find him.” Chanyeol continued, though he didn’t specify who he was referring to. Chen assumed he meant Sehun, if not him than Kai, but in the end their intention was to find both.

“We just need to figure out where to look.”

Baekhyun tensed up at the sight of Chanyeol’s eyes flickering towards him. They expected too much from him, being able to give them reassurance that he had the answers. Chanyeol must’ve noticed the stress brewing behind his eyes from his unnaturally taut posture and decided against asking for suggestions on a starting point.

“Do you think they’ll be okay?” He directed the question at Chen, assuming Baekhyun didn’t have the voice to answer.

“I think there is a possibility they could be. But, there is also the possibility that they aren’t.” Chen answered, swallowing the knot lodged in his throat.

“I expected Suho to get worked up over this.” He nodded towards the ocean. “The water’s so still.”

“I think he’s in shock. He hasn’t spoken to anyone. I’m afraid he might blame himself, though I don’t see how it could be his fault.”

“We’re down two. I don’t know how four of us would put up against six.” He sighed. “Now is not the time to be falling apart.”

“I feel like we’re the only ones who still have our sanity.”

“Can’t imagine we’ll hold onto it much longer.”

Baekhyun couldn’t help but think they truly forgot he was standing beside them and Chen only addressed himself and Chanyeol on the subject of sane comrades. Not that he didn’t believe he lost a part of himself in the fields of sand, but it stung nonetheless to think his comrades saw him as nothing but a broken mind.

“Somebody’s gotta keep their head on straight. For the sake of the others.” Chen rested a hand on Chanyeol’s shoulder. “Don’t let this get to you. Like you said; now’s not the time to be falling apart.”

The use of “others” didn’t go unnoticed by Baekhyun. He knew that meant more than Suho, and Chen clearly wasn’t implying Chanyeol. He pulled his saber out for no particular reason, maybe to feel slightly useful.

Deep down, he always had a sense of irrelevance in the group. Having the ability to turn on lights never proved very useful compared to fire or lightning. He learned how to fight long before the others because it was all he could do to assist in battles. The saber gave him a sense of purpose, made him feel like more than EXO’s flashlight, as Red Force used to refer to him as.

Chen and Chanyeol side eyed him when he whipped his saber out, not knowing whether to interpret it as a sign of danger or a sign of delusions. It became increasingly harder to trust Baekhyun’s judgment since the mess of memories he recollected. Over a week ago, they would’ve stood behind their best fighter at the sight of his blade and put up their defenses, but when Baekhyun returned from the desert a different person, they didn’t know what to believe anymore.

“What is it?” Chanyeol asked.

“Nothing.” Baekhyun put his saber away, conscious of how the random act registered in his comrades’ minds. Lately, he couldn’t resist making himself look as if he completely lost his mind.

“We need to start taking action.” Chen went on as if nothing happened. “Standing around and looking through binoculars isn’t going to help us find them any faster. What are the chances they just randomly appear in front of us?”

“More likely than I thought considering both Baekhyun and Kai’s backpack returned out of nowhere.”

“How did you make it back so quickly anyways?” Chen turned to Baekhyun for the first time since he arrived. Of course, the one time he acknowledged him he had to ask that damn question.

“I don’t remember.”

“What do you remember then? I feel like you tell us something different every time we ask. I don’t know what to believe from you anymore.”

Baekhyun lowered his head. “It’s all a blur.”

“Why do I get the feeling you’re not telling us everything? You’ve been acting real strange since-”

Chanyeol slapped a hand down on his shoulder to shut him up. “Chen.” He lowered his voice, though Baekhyun could still understand him. “Give him a break. Whatever happened really fucked him up.”

The feeling of uselessness weighed down on his chest again. They spoke about him like he wasn’t there, like he no longer had the brain capacity to function normally. He drew his sword again, this time with intention, and directed the tip towards Chen’s chest.

“Are we going to keep standing here, or are we going to go find the others?”

⬣⬣⬣

Hours ago, the wind grew so intense, Suho thought it might pick El Dorado out of the sand and carry it away. It blew him off his feet when he stood frozen in the sand hours before, and when he lifted his head, the others were gone.

The air went completely still. Any movement on the water, though very little, was his own doing. Gentle ripples that crept up the beach and hardly reached his feet. Despite the events of the previous night, he felt calm.

Maybe not calm, rather numb. Numb because the ambush went as fast as it came, because Sehun vanished in the midst of the battle, because that  _ thing  _ looked him in the eye with a smile, spoke to him, and left him alive.

When he thought about it too hard, dizziness overcame him and the water moved a little more than usual. As a result, his body completely shut down as a form of self preservation to keep him from completely falling apart. Had it not, he might’ve lost his mind days ago.

He blinked back to reality when crunching gravel filled the morning air. His comrades marched down the hill led by Baekhyun, and Suho couldn’t help but notice how put together they appeared compared to him.

“Get up.” Baekhyun demanded. “We’ve got a job to do.”

He seemed angrier than usual, and it caught Suho off guard. Hesitating, he pushed himself to his sand covered feet and made an attempt to look decent with a quick brush of his hair.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean our comrades are missing, so we have to find them.”

“Where are we supposed to look?”

Baekhyun didn’t answer, instead pushing past the others and marching towards El Dorado. Chen and Chanyeol exchanged glances, communicating something Suho didn’t understand via eye contact, then followed behind him.

Baekhyun went from room to room in search of something, prompting the others to do the same. They had no idea what they were looking for, but asking intimidated them more than it should’ve. Assuming Baekhyun was in search of clues, they carried on silently.

Suho stepped over a pile of bricks and dust, nearly tripping over a chunk of pillar. It amazed him how the roof hadn’t collapsed on impact, especially bearing witness to what the one responsible was truly capable of. He must’ve been holding back. Suho tried not to wonder why.

He went up to the second floor with caution, afraid the floor might crumble beneath him. Everything remained the same as before the ambush, apart from debris collecting in some corners. He would’ve stopped to ask Baekhyun what else they could do, but saw wavering beams of sunlight beyond the window and decided otherwise.

Very rarely did he see his comrade’s powers act up in response to his emotions. The last time he saw Baekhyun’s control slip, they went head to head against their enemies for the first time back in Vancouver.

They went in pairs of two. Baekhyun and Xiumin went together. Suho was with Chanyeol. They lost touch with Kai and Kyungsoo. An hour later, they ended up in a shopping mall, surrounded by spitting images of themselves.

Being their very first encounter, not one of them knew what to do or how to react. According to what little information Baekhyun reluctantly shared, he and Xiumin separated for only a moment.

They couldn’t tell each other apart. The difference in clothing did little to ensure any trust, not when ËXØ were so easily deceptive. Suho always wondered why Baekhyun panicked as much as he did. When he turned the corner with Chanyeol trailing behind him to find Xiumin shot dead and Baekhyun hovering over his body with a terrified look in his eyes, he thought it might have been the  _ other _ one.

And then he called out to him in a small, terror filled voice, and Suho knew it was really him. Every light in the building exploded into glass and sparks. The lights outside the windows went out. Suho soon realized the darkness wasn’t limited to the shopping mall. All the power in the entire city went out.

The following morning, distorted rays of light created an illusion on the horizon of orange and yellow waves. Suho saw it again for the first time since through El Dorado’s busted window. Baekhyun had his mind in other places. He didn’t want to bother him.

They roamed through El Dorado’s empty halls for about ten minutes, simply poking their heads into rooms and noting how everything looked about the same. The others began to think Baekhyun truly had no sense of awareness of his own actions and contemplated putting an end to their pointless search for nothing, when they heard him hollering from the east end of the building.

His words traveled as incoherent shouting through the walls, but Suho didn’t need to know what he said to spring into action. He sprinted down the hall, leapt over debris, nearly face planted as he made it up the stairs.

Chen and Chanyeol turned a corner just as he reached the top. They followed Baekhyun’s voice into what used to be a bathroom. Their comrade stood before them with a hand on his saber’s handle, staring up at the furthest wall.

“What is…” Chanyeol let his sentence fade away when his eyes found the focus of Baekhyun’s attention. He stepped up behind him to look over his head, his mouth hanging open in shock and horror.

Blood. Running down the walls, pooling at their feet, sprayed onto the cracked mirror to their left. A finger previously ran through the thick liquid to form letters colored red.

_ Red Force Base. _

Baekhyun turned to face the others with a blank expression. “Red Force Base.” He read aloud. “We know where that is.”

⬣⬣⬣

They’d been to Red Force Base once before. Years ago, when they were still nine and the clones were simply an idea in one scientist’s head, men dressed in SWAT gear stormed the warehouse they did most of their business.

They thought the police caught onto the chicken fights, gambling, and kidnapping they got themselves caught up in. They weren’t gangsters, at least they wouldn’t admit to it. But, landing on earth with no way to make a living as the outcasts of society, their options reduced to crime or death.

Red Force found out via spies. They heard through the grapevine that the strange phenomenons that appeared in the sky a few years before may or may not have been living creatures who became gangsters and currently resided in Seoul’s red light district. 

Miss Joohyun almost broke down crying of laughter when Wendy shared this information with her. Alien gangsters who partook in illegal chicken fights sounded like a fever dream she once had. But, Wendy swore up and down anonymous sources spotted less than human beings up in Seoul, and Joohyun had to see if it was true.

They sent a field agent by the name of Kim Taeyeon to infiltrate the gang and feed headquarters information. Two months into her mission, she discovered through various encounters with these  _ specimens _ that they wielded supernatural abilities, though they hardly used them during business.

It was during a confrontation with a rival gang that mistakenly took Taeyeon as a love interest to the tall one with red hair (they wouldn’t give out their names) and kidnapped her that Red Force took action.

Xiumin, Kai, and Chen tried negotiating for her return seeing as how she became a useful addition to their gang. Having a human on their side proved useful on a foregin planet, but their efforts did no good to sway their enemies.

Baekhyun and Kyungsoo threatened violence and no one took them seriously. Kyungsoo rang up Chanyeol, Suho, Sehun, and Lay as backup while Baekhyun filled human sized bird cages with uncooperative gangsters, giddy from a bottle of champagne.

They tore the place apart. Kai strangled their rival’s leader to death and set fire to his body. Suho burned all of their earnings. Xiumin, Chen, Sehun, and Lay took out any men who resisted. Chanyeol retrieved Taeyeon and got close to making it back to safety when an entire SWAT team busted down the doors.

Taeyeon pointed them in the right direction. They successfully captured all nine and left the remaining gangsters to rot. They sent them down to Mokpo, where Yeri and Joy began their experiments.

They took an interest in the more powerful members, becoming especially fond of 61 and 12. The only one they didn’t care for was 04, who bored them more than anything. They drugged him and left him unconscious on the experimenting table while the others were forced to endure torture labeled as “limitation tests”.

It was because of their lack of interest in 04 that Baekhyun successfully escaped and infiltrated their headquarters, eventually freeing the others. Just before Red Force could send the others to Canada, Baekhyun shut down security and stole the van packed up for Incheon National Airport.

Baekhyun knew the place better than any of them. They hardly saw anything outside their cells and the torture rooms on ground zero. He knew how to get in and out, how to tamper with the technology, how to avoid triggering any alarms.

Getting  _ into _ Red Force Base didn’t pose as an issue. It was getting  _ to _ Red Force Base that made them nervous. They hadn’t left El Dorado in about a year. They hadn’t seen the city, or whatever was left of it. They didn’t know what they’d encounter on their way there.

Suho nearly called the whole mission off and turned back five minutes into the walk. Earlier that morning, as a sliver of the sun appeared over the edge of the water, they packed up their bags, stuffing them full of rations, water, and supplies, then started towards the desert without looking back.

The base wasn’t nearly as far away as Incheon. Based on rough calculations, it would take about thirty six hours to make the trip. They didn’t have to cross through the city to get there (much to their relief) but being alone in the desert with no cover meant they were about as safe as the critters exposed to looming hawks.

“At least we’ve got each other.” Chen reminded them in a vain attempt to lift their spirits. Baekhyun seemed especially pissed off by this comment. He mumbled something about the chances of separation, speaking from experience.

“We’ll only have to spend one night out here. Doesn’t sound too bad.” Chanyeol added. Suho appreciated the attempt at comfort, but it left a sour taste in Baekhyun’s mouth.

“Anything can happen in a night.” He said, looking everywhere but the others.

Chen somewhat enjoyed the hike. Being cooped up in El Dorado caused boredom to fester in his mind, to the point where he almost wanted ËXØ to show up just so he had something to do. Though there wasn’t much to look at, he enjoyed a slight change in scenery.

Chanyeol had to wear three wet rags on his head to avoid overheating, but he didn’t mind much. It felt good to get out and stretch his legs and breathe less salty air. He kept by Baekhyun’s side, pointing out any critters that scattered across the dirt or chickens making poor attempts to fly.

Baekhyun made no effort to look interested. His eyes locked on any movement in his peripheral vision, hyper focused on his surroundings to the point where Chanyeol’s presence gradually became forgotten.

Chanyeol nudged him whenever a comment went unacknowledged or a question went unanswered. Baekhyun saw it as pestering, and marched up ahead to be alone in response.

Chanyeol went up to Chen next, who had the binoculars up to his face. “What’s up?”

“Nothing.” He nodded towards their comrades in front of them. “Suho’s been real quiet. And Baekhyun seems pissed.”

“Can’t say I blame them. You do realize what we’re about to do, right?”

Chen scoffed before the words had a chance to sink in. What they were about to do; enter Red Force Base, find ËXØ, potentially come across the corpses of their missing comrades, get killed themselves.

He stopped in his tracks. Chanyeol peered over his shoulder when he noticed. “What is it?” He asked.

“What the fuck are we about to get ourselves into?”

“Hey, don’t panic,” He swallowed dryly, suddenly realizing how arrid the atmosphere was. “We’ll be okay.”

“What do you mean we’ll be okay? They kicked our asses last time. We don’t stand a chance against them.”

Chen’s voice rose, prompting Suho and Baekhyun to stop when they heard him.

“They ambushed us, we hardly saw it coming. I mean, what choice do we have anyways? We need to find Sehun and Kai.”

“How do we even know they’re at Red Force Base?” He spoke in a near shout. “What if this is just a trap and we’re stupidly walking right into it?”

None of them had anything to say to that. He had a point, which both annoyed and terrified them. Suho kept the possibility of walking straight towards his death in the back of his mind, but hearing Chen say it out loud forced the thoughts to overtake his mind.

“We have to go back.” His voice cut through the silence.

“What about Sehun and Kai?” Chanyeol asked.

“What are the chances they’re still alive?”

“Baekhyun!”

“What are the chances we’ll still be alive to save them?”

“Well, they certainly won’t still be alive if we sit around El Dorado for the rest of our days. Weren’t you the one who said we should go out and find them, Chen?”

“That was before  _ they _ left a message written in blood telling us where to go. This is a fucking trap, I know it.”

“We’ll have to confront them again eventually, so we might as well bring the fight to them, even if we aren’t fully prepared. We have to try for Sehun and Kai.”

“Oh, now you want to rush things.” Baekhyun mumbled.

“Before, our comrades weren’t missing! This is different! If we don’t act now, they’ll kill them!”

“Everyone, calm down.” Suho interrupted. “Just, be quiet for a second so I can think.” He pressed his fingers against the sides of his head, relieving a growing headache creeping through his skull. The five minutes of silence they gave him to think, he spent staring blankly at the ground with no clue as to what to do next.

He waited for someone to speak up so he wouldn’t have to pretend like he had a clue any longer. Eventually, Baekhyun stepped forward, looking towards the setting sun.

“Let’s go.” He said. “There’s no point in debating it now. We’re already halfway there. We get to Red Force Base and find Sehun and Kai. If we die, we die. That was always part of the plan.”

He left no room for argument. They started forward, silent and anxious as the sun dipped below the horizon and the desert went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this chapter is bad. This is what happens when you try and write with writer's block. Anyways, sorry for taking so long to update (like I said, writer's block). Hopefully, next chapter will be better since we might be seeing some confrontations ;)


	9. Chapter: 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arrival at Red Force Base

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all, I just started my own youtube channel! My channel name is kokoboiifyoudont- I made a video for this story, so if you're interested, please check it out and show it lots of love! Here's the link to the video: [ EXO-They're Exactly The Monsters They Were Built To Kill](https://youtu.be/HyeWk20FYvQ)

_ Mokpo, South Korea _

_ Red Force Base _

_ April 16th _

_ 21:02 _

Barbed wire fences wrapped around the entire length of the building and fell short of the second floor windows. Cameras perched on metal rods maintained at least ten feet in between each to ensure no blinds spots. The dusty, barren atmosphere of the desert gave way to mud and rain and an overcast that concealed the moon. The air smelled like mildew and corpses. The temperature dropped to near freezing.

Chains on the front gate laid in a puddle of murky water, burying themselves under the mud like snakes. Gripping on the metal pole to avoid cutting his hand on the barbed wire, Baekhyun pushed the gate open and stepped over the line separating Mokpo and hell.

“The cameras are on.” He commented, nodding towards dots of red lights from above the fence. “Not that it matters. They already know we’re here.”

Heavy boots trudged through dreadful mud, lifting their knees to avoid sinking. Dull and flickering floodlights from atop the building provided minimal light to see at least five feet in front of them and keep from stepping on each other’s heels. It also helped to avoid snapping any bones sticking out of puddles, which they found scattered all throughout the place.

Human remains. They couldn’t fool themselves into thinking the skulls and spines belonged to chickens. An entire corpse sat at the foot of the entrance, mostly intact and with strips of rotting flesh slipping off its body.

It sat upright with its back against the door. The head went missing. All of its clothes fell off the frame of its body, apart from a pair of black boots on its feet. Baekhyun wouldn’t touch it. He moved aside so Chanyeol could grab it by the spine and push it aside.

They stepped inside the building, trailing mud and blood on the otherwise clean floor. They crept through sterile white halls with sterile white walls, seeing nothing but floor to ceiling windows that looked into laboratories.

Arrows recently painted on the walls in red pointed towards the elevator. Every glowing button on the side panel went dark except for ground zero. The only floor they were familiar with. The one they wanted to avoid.

The elevator took them down to the basement, where they were met with poor lighting and warmer temperatures. Baekhyun stepped off first with his saber in hand. They went down the main hall leading to a set of metal doors. The room beyond was one they’d been in before, but it didn’t look the same as they remembered.

The maze Red Force trapped them in. The place had been renovated, rooms refurbished, beds and food and games added for recreational use. They looked down from the windows overseeing the labyrinth, taking in the sight of some replica of a home.

“This is where they lived.” Chen said. “This is where they were raised.”

“This is where they were made.” Baekhyun corrected him.

They went down to the maze’s entrance beyond glass doors. Chanyeol picked up a map from an employee’s desk. With what little light he had, he made out the image of a restaurant in the center and decided they were heading in that direction.

It had a bar filled with alcohol and tables and stools and plants for decoration. It looked normal, like any average human being frequently visited to get a drink with friends. Suho sat down at the island and ran his hand over the marble counter. A ring of water from a glass wiped away with his fingers. Someone had been there recently.

“They’ve even got a game room.” Chanyeol pointed out. “They were really living in luxury, weren’t they?”

They passed through bedrooms to reach the farside of the maze. Numbers written above the bed frames indicated who slept there. Room 94 had a much fancier bed than the others, equipped with silk sheets and jumbo pillows. Room 04 had a chandelier, but it somehow shattered against the floorboards. Room 61 looked like it hadn’t been used in months. Room 21 had board games stacked in one corner. Room 01 looked simple and rather boring in comparison. Rooms 99, 10, 12, and 88 were stripped bare.

Past room 12, they entered the game room. A single light dangling overhead twinkled excitedly. They came to a halt when the sound of thumping boots bounced off the walls. The smell of smoke filled the air and metal surfaces sparked with electricity.

They pressed their backs together and raised their fists. Soft laughter traveled to their ears on a gentle breeze. The voice sounded familiar. Chanyeol looked back at Baekhyun to remind himself who produced the sound.

A whistle. Suho tensed up at the sound. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and broke away from Chen to investigate. A chair shifted. A pair of glowing reddish orange eyes blinked from beneath a table, forming into crescents from an invisible smile.

Shadows of horns danced along the wall. Suho tripped over his own feet and fell into Chen as he backed away. Chen would’ve caught him had he not been petrified by the four pairs of eyes staring back at him in the darkness.

“You came.” A voice said. They all turned to Suho on instinct. “Aren’t you bold.”

A figure in red stepped out of the shadows, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully. Suho felt his knees go weak at the sight. The death grip Chen had on his arm kept him from collapsing.

“I take it you’re here to find the young one.” He chuckled. “Both of them.”

“Did you kill them?” Suho asked quietly. The others were shocked he could even speak at all in the presence of  _ him _ .

“94 is with Sehůn. 88  _ was _ with Kāi, but it appears they’ve both gone away for a while.”

“Where is he?” Suho stepped forward, feeling bold out of desperation. “Where is Sehun?”

“I believe my comrade is holding him in the training room, but I can’t imagine he’ll let you in. Not without a little resistance, at least.”

“We’ll do whatever it takes to get them back.”

“I’m sure you will, but there are lines I doubt you’re willing to cross.” He began pacing. “Or, maybe you really are that desperate. Hm, I guess we’ll see in a minute.”

Three others stepped out of the darkness with insanity oozing from their demeanor. Suho tried not to let his fear show, but the tension in his body was telling and they could practically smell it radiating off of him.

“You six can negotiate for his return. I’d like to speak with Junmyeon alone.” He held a hand out. “Shall we?”

⬣⬣⬣

Walking up to the loft hand in hand with a sinister version of himself felt like a dream. He couldn’t feel anything but an abnormally cold hand in his. Not the floor beneath him, the clothes on his back, the feeling of glass against his open palm.

They stopped in front of a window that overlooked the maze. Suho could see his comrades where he left them, standing frozen in the game room as the  _ others _ walked circles around them and said something inaudible.

“What are you going to do?” He asked, surprised by his own composure.

“Nothing. It’s what  _ they’ll _ do that you should be asking about.”

Suho assumed he meant that rhetorically and didn’t ask.

“What are you going to do to me?”

He shrugged. “Let you watch. Consider yourself lucky. I’m sure you’d rather be up here than down there with the others. Knowing how... _ excited _ my comrades can get, it’s probably best you keep your distance until the rush subsides.”

Suho shook his head, as if that would rid himself of dizziness. “Why are you doing this?”

“Doing what?”

“Letting me live. Taking me up here to watch instead of letting your comrades tear me apart. You said you didn’t care about me, so why won’t you let me die?”

“Do you want me to let you die?”

“No, but-” He paused, taking a moment to let everything sink in. He was talking to his clone, having a  _ normal _ conversation with him. He was still alive and casually watching the maze with his hand still in his like this was something they did often.

He yanked his hand away. “You want me dead. I know you do, but...you haven’t killed me yet.”

“What makes you think I want you dead?”

“That’s what you were made for. Your whole existence is because Red Force wants me dead. If your intention isn’t to kill me, then what’s the point in existing?”

Suhø’s smirk faltered slightly, and the flicker of distress on his face made him look more human than he ever had before. Suho shivered at the sight, not knowing what to think of it.

“My purpose goes beyond you, Junmyeon, you’re not that important. And, maybe I want to keep you alive a little longer just to watch you suffer.” His smirk returned.

“Keeping me safe from your psychopath comrades is making me suffer? I’m starting to think Red Force made a mistake in your coding.”

“I’m not keeping you safe.” He laughed. “I brought you up here to watch. Living a little longer is just a bonus.”

Suho turned back to the window to see their six comrades entering the training room. One room had blue curtains strung up to conceal what resided inside. He guessed that’s where they kept Sehun. If not, he had no idea where to find him.

“What are they going to do to them?” He finally asked.

“Have a little fun, I suspect. They’re so easy to entertain. Just a little bloodshed will do.”

“What happened to negotiating?”

“I never said they wouldn’t negotiate. Just said there might be bloodshed.”

“That’s not negotiating.”

“It is to them.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets and stood back to take in the entire sight of the maze. “I must be honest with you; you might not leave here with the same number as you came.”

“I  _ might _ not?”

“Yes, I can’t guarantee anything. Being familiar with my comrades’ habits, I assume they’ll leave fate up to their opponent. Consider it a test.”

“A test of what? Pain tolerance?”

“Sanity.” He chuckled. “I don’t doubt they can put up a good fight, despite your lack of training, but, mentally they seem to be weak. 04’s already halfway to his breaking point and I sense the other two aren’t far behind.”

“You think you can break them?” Suho said through gritted teeth to mask the panic in his voice. “They’re stronger than you give them credit for.”

He chuckled, mindlessly rubbing a thumb over his lips. “I guess we’ll see.”

⬣⬣⬣

“Quid pro quo,” Baëkhyun spoke with a hint of a chuckle in his voice. “I’ll let you take 94 alive if you can win against me in a fight.”

They followed his gaze to Baekhyun, who moved slightly behind Chanyeol to avoid being addressed directly. Clearly, it did no good.

“Sound like a deal?”

“No.” He couldn’t find it in him to say anymore. The others laughed at the way his face heated up.

“Fine. What do you purpose then?”

He swallowed hard. “You let us walk out of here with Sehun and no one gets hurt.”

He hardly finished his sentence when Baëkhyun fell back into Chanyeøl in a fit of laughter. The latter didn’t react, merely pushing his comrade forward and crossing his arms over his chest.

“No, that’s not an option. I’m giving you the opportunity to take 94 alive; if I were you, I’d take the deal.”

“I don’t want to fight.”

“You don’t have many options.” Baëkhyun drew his saber, identical to the one in his opponent’s holster. “I’ve seen you fight back at El Dorado. You may not know, but I watch you. If anyone’s gonna win a fight for 94’s sake, it’s gonna be you.”

Chanyeol and Chen turned towards him with unreadable thoughts brewing in their minds. Chanyeol had a hand wrapped tightly around Baekhyun’s arm, indicating his desire for a refusal. Chen seemed to consider it, if his reluctance to confidently decline was any indication.

“You’re the best fighter we have.” He said quietly.

“And  _ he’s _ probably the best fighter  _ they _ have.” Chanyeol hissed. “He’ll rip you to shreds. There has to be some other way.”

“We don’t have many options, Chanyeol.” Baekhyun reminded, though he was unsure whether he was willing to side with him or Chen.

“Do you really think you can beat him in a battle? Any other fighter, and I might have some faith, but him?”

“What do you suggest we do then?” Chen asked.

Chanyeol didn’t answer only because Baekhyun stepped forward before given the chance. Drawing his saber, he stuck out his free hand for Baëkhyun to shake. “I’m left with no other choice.”  
Smiling, Baëkhyun gripped his hand tightly and pulled him forward. “To the training room.”

⬣⬣⬣

The training room consisted of different areas sectioned off by curtains. Each section accommodated a specific member, all varying in size and purpose. Baëkhyun had the most space and took up the majority of the maze’s east side. In the center of the room, Red Force laid out a miniature sized arena, equipped with bleachers, spotlights, and a long platform raised five feet above the ground.

Chen and Chanyeol sat to the right of the platform, directly across from their counterparts. They tried not to make eye contact, but the glow from their gaze made it hard to ignore.

The fighters stood on their respectives sides, taking a few swings at the air to warm up their arms. Chanyeol turned away from the others to focus on Baekhyun, who appeared relatively calm despite the circumstances.

“Are you ready?”

“No.”

“You don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I do.”

Chanyeol didn’t argue further, knowing he was right.

“Please be careful.”

“I’ll try.”

“Don’t underestimate what he’s capable of.”

“Believe me; I won’t.”

“Stay focused.”

“I will.”

“Don’t let your guard down.”

“Okay.”

“Always stay one step ahead of him.”

“Chanyeol-” He touched his shoulder. “I got it. Stop worrying so much.”

The room exploded with brightness when the spotlights flashed on. Baëkhyun hopped up on the platform with his saber hanging loosely in his grip, twirling it occasionally. He squatted down to his opponent’s eye level with a cocky grin and playfully poked him in the shoulder.

“Time’s up. Come on, we’ve got an audience waiting.”

Baekhyun climbed onto the platform with his head held high, shoulders back, and his saber secured tightly in his hand. His face deadpanned, and Baëkhyun mistakenly interpreted it as nerves.

“You’re pretty good up against those incompetent comrades of yours.” He dug his back foot into the floor. “Let’s see how well you can do against me.”

Baekhyun made the first move. His saber swung forward, striking metal against metal. His opponent deflected the attack, nearly knocking the weapon out of his hand.

“Come on, I know you can do better than that.” He casually swept his saber under Baekhyun’s feet, knocking him onto his back. “You’re normally so graceful on your feet. What gives?”

Baekhyun jumped up and raised his weapon. Their swords clashed again, but the strength behind his opponent’s swing threw his balance off. He stumbled to the edge of the platform, nearly falling into the bleachers.

Chanyeol threw his hands over his eyes in a panic, while Chen nearly jumped out of his seat. Across the way, the others merely chuckled.

“What’s the matter with you? You’re embarrassing yourself.” Baëkhyun grabbed the hoodie of his jacket and yanked him back. “Come on, hit me already. Make me bleed.”

Baekhyun swung his arm back with all his might, missing Baëkhyun’s throat by a centimeter. His saber flew from his grasp, skidding across the platform and stopping short of the edge.

“You’re pathetic, you know that? I expected better from you.” A boot came down on his back, shoving him to the floor. Trapped under Baëkhyun’s weight with his chest pressed painfully against the platform, he couldn’t move ahead enough to reach for his weapon.

A sharp point sunk into his arm. Slowly, inching deeper and deeper until he couldn’t hold back a cry of pain. His muscles tensed up in response, tightening around the blade and sending a stinging sensation throughout his body.

“Come on, Baekhyun. I want you to hurt me.”

He pressed his palms against the floor and pushed himself up, straining against Baëkhyun’s boot. The latter stepped aside to allow him a small window of opportunity to defend himself, taking a few seconds to wipe blood from his saber.

Baekhyun picked his weapon up as his legs wobbled beneath him, before he stood upright and regained his concentration. Baëkhyun watched him with anticipation glowing in his eyes. The sight of blood dripping down his arm made his heart race and his pupils dilate, creating a blackened stare that Baekhyun had no choice but to stare dead into.

“Go on. Ruin me.”

Baekhyun held the blade between his eyes, sliding one foot back for support. The tension dissipated in his posture, released with a heavy sigh. In the blink of an eye, their sabers collided again, rubbing against each other to create sparks.

Baekhyun pushed forward and the tip of his opponent’s saber came in contact with the ground. He smiled in response. “Finally.”

Baëkhyun swung at his head, forcing him to jump back to avoid losing an eye. His right foot shot back to catch himself and to maintain his balance. His saber glided through the air, caught midway by an opposing force.

Baëkhyun dropped to the floor and kicked his leg out, striking Baekhyun in the knee. In the split second his opponent was caught off guard, he snatched the saber out of his hand and pressed both against each side of his neck. Baekhyun remained still, tilting his chin up slightly as the blades pressed harder against his skin.

“Maybe 94 won’t make it out alive after all.”

“This fight isn’t over yet.”

Baëkhyun laughed. “Oh really? You’re hurt and disarmed. I would’ve liked for this fight to go on longer, but you clearly aren’t as good as we all thought.” He turned to Chen and Chanyeol. “How do you feel now? Seeing your best fighter struck down in minutes. You must be so disappointed. He was your only hope in seeing 94 again, and he-”

The spotlights flickered out, averting Baëkhyun’s attention. He felt a boot slam into his shin, followed by a saber being pried out of his grasp.

A single light turned on again, shining down on the platform and casting the rest of the room in darkness.

“I told you this fight isn’t over yet.”

Baëkhyun rose to his feet with a smirk. “Fair enough.”

They walked circles around each other. More blood ran down Baekhyun’s arm, pooling onto the floor and glimmering in the spotlight. Their boots left prints wherever they walked into puddles, making a mess of red throughout their battlefield.

The smell, the sight. It excited Baëkhyun in a way that made it hard to act rationally. He wanted to drive his saber into his opponent again and again, watch the blood gush out of his body, feel the warmth of it splattered onto his own cold skin.

Overstimulated and giddy from the scent of iron, Baëkhyun gave into his urges and lunged forward without preparation. His opponent sensed the attack and jumped to the side in time to avoid the blade aiming for his heart.

The sloppiness in his technique made it easy for Baekhyun to dodge another swing and throw him off balance. With his head spinning, Baëkhyun couldn’t react in time to avoid the tip of a saber striking him in the face.

It happened in a flash. No one registered what unfolded until it was over. One moment, Baekhyun swung his saber forward, and the next his opponent fell to his knees. He had a hand cupped over his face. Blood oozed out of the gaps between his fingers.

His tongue wiped up the blood running onto his lips and stained his teeth red. His entire body shook, either from excitement or rage. Baekhyun stepped back, anticipating a violent reaction either way.

“Baëkhyun.” Chanyeøl called out.

His comrade responded with a terse scoff, before rising to his feet and pulling a trembling hand away from his face. All the blood he held back rushed from the deep cut below his eyes and dripped down his chin. He wiped his cheeks with the back of his hand and licked them clean.

The glow from his eyes grew in intensity. Baekhyun noticed how off balance he appeared and the way he held his saber so loosely in his hand. He saw this as an advantage.

“It’s my turn to make you hurt.”

He jumped up with his saber held high, bringing it down on the blade held out in front of his opponent. The collision knocked Baëkhyun into a puddle of blood, soaking his goldish-white hair.

As soon as he got to his feet and attempted to steady himself again, Baekhyun dropped his saber onto the platform with a loud  _ clink _ . Chanyeol and Chen froze, their mouths gaping open.

“What is he doing? What the hell is he doing?”

Baëkhyun’s saber shot forward, barely grazing any skin. Baekhyun elbowed his wrist to knock the weapon free of his grasp, then drove his fist into his gut. Baëkhyun doubled over, both laughing and coughing with blood and spit dripping from his mouth like a rabid animal.

To finish him off, Baekhyun stepped up on his knee, wrapped both legs around his neck, and flipped them both over so Baëkhyun fell forward onto his back. Veins popped out of his neck as he strained to sit upright, but the pain in his torso made it near impossible to move.

“I’ll kill you!” He suddenly screamed, his chest heaving and his breath coming out staggered. “I’ll watch you die slowly and painfully, you fucking bastard!”

Baekhyun struck him in the head with the butt of his sword, creating a black and blue bump just above his eyebrow. He fell back spitting up blood and screaming something incoherent. His body shook so intensely, Baekhyun thought it might’ve been a seizure.

Chanyeøl jumped up on the platform and touched the cut running from ear to ear. He rubbed the thick liquid between his fingers, getting a whiff of the intoxicating smell.

“I won.” Baekhyun said, pale and swaying from blood loss. “Where’s Sehun?”

“That’s not fair!” Chën shouted as he jumped up from his seat. “I call a rematch!”

“No, we won.” Chanyeol stepped forward. “Now, give us Sehun  _ alive _ .”

“We don’t have to give him up if we don’t want to. And we won’t if there’s no rematch.”

“Your comrade can’t fight. There can’t be a rematch.”

Chën scoffed. “Who said it had to be Baëkhyun? He clearly doesn’t live up to his reputation, so it’ll have to be me instead.”

Chen stepped back, stumbling into the bleachers. “I won’t fight. I-I can’t.”

“We don’t have to fight. To be honest, I’m not a fan of swordplay either. I much prefer to use the mind as a weapon.”

“No. I can’t.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not some psychopath like my comrade here. My intention isn’t to gut you like a fish.”

“What will you do then?”

He shrugged. “How about a game of chess?” 

⬣⬣⬣

Chen only played once in his life. Once upon a time, when their existence to Red Force only existed in rumors and the nine of them lived in Seoul. Half past ten, just as they returned to their warehouse for a home after a day of work, the phone rang from another room.

Kyungsoo picked up and announced Busan was on the line, then turned the phone over to Suho. The caller claimed to be a business partner looking to take them up on an offer carelessly thrown out when Chen said something about poor investments a few days before.

They took the train down to Busan and met in a casino. It came as a surprise when they recognized this man from past affairs (though they never got a name) and even more so when he offered an alliance in exchange for a share of the profits from Baekhyun and Kyungsoo’s underground chicken fights.

They drove back to his mansion for a midnight party, where Chen ended up in the library while drunkenly searching for the bathroom. He happened to bump into a relative of the owner, who he got to talking with. The stranger taught him how to play chess, though Chen couldn’t recall why, or much at all after drowning most memories with a few glasses of some strange concoction blue in color and decorated in hard candy.

The basic premise of the game stuck with him, but any sneaky techniques and pro tips he couldn’t recall. One look at the black and red chess pieces reminded him that the game had more complexity to it than he initially remembered. It made him nervous, no doubt.

On the contrary, Chën ran his fingers over the board with admiration shining on his face. He knew how to play much better than Chen did; he could tell right off the bat. Being locked up in Red Force Base must’ve given him plenty of time to practice.

“I used to play all the time.” He said. “Me, Xiümin, and Kyungsøø played all the time before…” His sentence faded into a chuckle. “Well, they must’ve run off from boredom. Can’t imagine they found anyone other than their own counterparts any interesting.”

He sat on the side of the red pieces and gestured for Chen to follow suit. By then, Chanyeol and Baekhyun returned from the bleachers, where they applied bandages to the wound on the latter’s arm. Chanyeøl followed soon after. Baëkhyun did not return.

“Now that we’re all here, why don’t we start?” Chën suggested, cracking his knuckles. “Why don’t I make the first move?”

A red piece slid forward. The game officially began.

“So,” Chën began as he studied the board. “Ever played before?”

“Once.”

“Any good?”

“Sure.” He lied.

“Where’d you learn?”

He moved a black piece forward and hit the timer. “A guy I met in Busan taught me. We were bored and looking for something to do I guess.”

“You wanna know how I learned?”

He didn’t, but the look on Chën’s face made it clear honesty wasn’t an option. He simply nodded.

“I taught myself. We taught ourselves a lot of things.” He made another move and Chen’s palms began to sweat. “They built us to be so smart, we knew how to do things just by thinking about it long enough. They gave us board games and we figured it out all on our own.”

“You said you played with the others.” Chen said, feeling a knot growing in his throat.

“Yes. They were better players than me, but I’m good. Don’t think less of me. They liked playing checkers too. None of the others liked brain games much besides Xiümin and Kyungsøø. They much preferred sword fights and things of the sort.”

Chen stopped to watch the board, searching between each piece to determine the next best move. His opponent studied the focused look in his eyes with a smirk, which only grew wider when a hand slammed down on the timer.

“You’re not much of a fighter.” Chen continued. “That somehow doesn’t make me any less terrified of you.”

“And it shouldn’t. Never underestimate what a man can do with just his mind.” Another red piece moved.

“You’re not a man.”

“What am I then? A monster?”

“You’re Red Force’s lab rat, that’s all you are. A product of their determination to kill whatever they couldn’t understand.”

“And you’re not human, so what does that make you?”

“Someone who strayed a little too far away from home and ended up stranded in a place I never belonged.” He slammed his piece down and smacked the timer. “But, I’m no monster.”

“Red Force would beg to differ, hence why they made me.” He looked up from the board briefly to eye the small audience watching from across the room. “Would you ever return home if given the chance?”

“In a heartbeat.”

“Where’d you come from anyway? Red Force never stopped talking about you guys since the day I was born, yet I feel I know nothing about you.”

“A place far away from here. This isn’t even my solar system.”

“How’d that happen?”

“A few of our members got caught up in some trouble. Left to deal with some things, tried to bring them back home, and the rest is history.”

Chën made his next move, putting him one step closer to winning. The thought of Sehun popped into Chen’s mind, reminding him that lives were on the line and he needed to get his act together.

“You’re good.” He commented, more out of frustration than as a compliment.

“I told you so. I’d say you’re not so bad yourself, but then I’d be a monster  _ and _ a liar.” He slapped the table with a laugh, rattling the game pieces.

“You haven’t won yet.” He reminded himself more than his opponent in a vain attempt to ease his racing heart. His eyes flickered up to Baekhyun and Chanyeol, who looked sick and paralyzed from stress.

“How come you can’t return home?” Chën asked upon regaining his composure.

“Don’t know how.” He moved another piece. “If I knew, we wouldn’t be here right now.”

“Are you still trying to figure it out?”

“We’ve gotten a little side tracked.” He shot his opponent a glare. “But, it never leaves my mind.”

“Maybe when you get that train to Incheon working again and make it to America, you’ll find the answers you’re looking for.”

“One can only hope.”

Chën’s move. He carefully picked up one red piece and scanned the board. The perfect spot caught his eye. With one corner of his mouth curling up into a grin, he set the piece down and tapped the timer.

“Check.”

Chen’s breath hitched. His eyes moved from the board to his comrades again, looking for reassurance. They nodded with as little confidence as they could fake, and it hardly did any good to put him at ease.

“Sehun’s counting on you, Chen. Go on and make a move. You’re not so far off from winning.”

No matter how hard he stared at the black and red checkered board, it didn’t click in his head what to do next. He had options, but choosing which one resulted in life and which one resulted in death made his mind go blank.

“What are you waiting for, Chen? Make a move.”

“Just relax.” Chanyeol said in an unsteady voice. “Be smart about it.”

“He’s right. Just relax and make a move already.”

Time ticked away, seconds measured by the sound of the timer beside him. His trembling fingers selected a black piece and moved it across the board. He hesitated to set it down. Chën hung on the edge of his seat in anticipation.

“We don’t have all day, Jongdae.”

The piece rested on the board again. He slapped the timer and cupped his hands behind his head, refusing to ponder his decision a moment longer.

“It’s about time.”

“Just make your move already.”

Chën stroked his chin. His attention fixated on one piece in particular, which he caught between his fingers and held up for his opponent to see.

“Say I win and Sehun dies. What will you do with me?” He chuckled. “Kill me? Rip me to shreds for what I did to your poor comrade?”

“Maybe I will.”  
“I don’t know if I believe you. I’ve seen the way you carry yourself back at El Dorado. You can’t even kill a flightless bird.”

The longer Chën sat with the piece resting in his hand, the further Chen’s nails dug into the polished surface of the table.

“Make your move already.”

“Yes, of course. But, before I do, I want to say that I hope there are no hard feelings between us, no matter what happens. A deal’s a deal, you understand.”

“A deal’s a deal’ my ass. Baekhyun won; you should’ve returned Sehun already.”

“Hm, I guess you’re right, but you can’t expect a monster like me to play fair, can you?”

“Make your damn move.”

“Fine. I can’t keep you waiting forever, can I? I’m sure you’re anxious to see you’re comrade again, dead or alive. Fingers crossed he lives, right?” He shrugged. “Let’s hope I’m not that clever when it comes to chess. That wouldn’t be very good for you, would it?”

“Go on!” He slammed his hands down. “Make your move, you son of a bitch!”

His hand shot forward, dropping the red piece in the empty square he had his eye on for so long.

“Check mate.”

⬣⬣⬣

“Stop! Don’t let him!”

Suho jumped down the stairs, nearly twisting his ankle on the last step. His shoulder rammed into the glass doors leading into the maze. He had no time to grab a map, let alone use it. He was lost, with only the screams of his comrades as any indication that he was close.

“Junmyeon.” Suhø called out, speed walking behind him. Distorted shadows of horns casted onto the walls, surrounding Suho as he maneuvered through the labyrinth. Sometimes it appeared closer, sometimes further, and he couldn’t determine if he escaped him or not.

He ran until he came to a dead end beyond the restaurant. The shadow crept up the far wall, bathing the corner in darkness. His silhouette emerged from the doorway, stretching one hand out.

“I’d rather you don’t approach them when they’re like this. Come back with me.”

“Get the fuck away from me!” Suho blindly swung a fist, striking only air. “I won’t let them kill him!”

“You’re not going in there, Junmyeon. I’ll chain you to the fucking ground if that’s what it takes.” He spoke in a rather soothing, almost comforting voice that made Suho’s stomach turn over to the point he felt sick.

“Get over here now, Junmyeon, before I drag you away by your hair.”

“Fuck you!” He sprang forward with his arms swinging wildly to clear a path. Just as he slipped through the doorway, Suhø caught him by his shoulder and yanked him to the floor, forcing a hand on the back of his neck to keep him down.

“Let go of me!” He screamed, banging his fists onto the ground.

“I told you I wouldn’t let you go. Did you think I was bluffing?”

“Don’t kill him, please! Don’t kill him!” His shrill voice rang through the entire maze with a deafening echo.

“Shhh.” Suhø grabbed his jaw and turned his head to meet his eyes. “It’ll all be over soon. There’s nothing you can do about it.”

“Get your fucking hands off me.” His head jerked back to escape his grip, but the horned figure only squeezed tighter.

“I can’t let you go. Not now.”

More screaming emanated throughout the maze, and in the mix of incoherent panic, Suho identified Sehun’s voice.

“Stop!” He pushed against Suhø’s grip. “Don’t do this! Don’t kill him!”

Suhø climbed on top of his back and pressed all of his weight down to keep him planted. His deathly cold hand stroked the side of his face, smearing the tears that stained his cheeks red.

“Hush. It’s almost over.”

“Please…”

“There’s nothing you can do for him now.” A ball of water swirled from the palm of Suhø’s hand. The lights overhead created a purple and blue hue that moved so gracefully with the flow of currents. It was mesmerizing to look at; the calming movement, the distortion of light casted on the wall, the glimmer on the water’s surface. Suho felt himself getting swept away by waves tranquility, forgetting for a moment what he was so worried about.

“It’s pretty, isn’t it?” Suhø asked.

“Yes. So pretty…”

He twirled his finger to move the water in the most elegant ways, while trailing the fingers on his opposite hand down Suho’s face.

“Do you like this?”

“Yes.”

“It’s so pretty.”

“So pretty…”

The sound of a bow snapping echoed throughout the halls. All other noises came to a halt as the whistle of an arrow cut through the silence. Screams erupted when the point struck it’s target.

“So pretty…” Suho muttered as his eyelids grew heavy and his consciousness retracted with the waves of an ever peaceful ocean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, things are getting intense now


	10. Chapter: 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Return to El Dorado

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bruh, it really took me forever to write this and it's kind of a mess, so here you go.

_ Mokpo, South Korea _

_ Red Force Base _

_ April 16th _

_ 22:32 _

Dreams of home clouded Suho’s mind like the smoke filling his lungs. Fire climbed the walls with fervent heat, scorching anything it touched. Orange and red illuminated the windows and turned the puddles of water near his head to vapor.

His body didn’t react until flames reached too close and the heat hugged his bare arms. His lungs expanded to suck in clean air, instead taking in a painful amount of smoke.

He coughed, and the sound yanked him from a dream. The temperature rose to unbearable levels. Sweat beat down his skin, turning to mist before making it very far.

He lifted his head out of the mud, feeling the world spinning around him. He was outside, lying across from Red Force’s entrance with the front gates directly behind him. Flames overtook his vision, blinding him with intense brightness. It roared as the exterior of the building whined with threats of collapsing.

Among the popping and crackling of fire, shouting rang through empty hallways. Boots thumping against the floor. Metal striking metal.

His mind told him to get up and find the others, but his body refused to cooperate. His hands flexed as they attempted to push him to his feet, but anymore movement drained him of all energy.

The sound of voices drew closer. He looked towards the entrance to see a fiery figure fall through the door, stumbling over his own feet. Suho squinted against the intense light to make out a silhouette trapped in a ball of fire.

It was Chanyeol; he could see a head of pink hair and a beret. He slammed himself into a wall while his arms flung like crazy. He jerked so much, Suho half expected his arms to come loose from their sockets.

With every attempt to extinguish the flame climbing up his body, more fire shot to the floor and spread in waves. Reality finally clicked in Suho’s brain when his boot caught on fire, sending him jumping to his feet and up the front steps.

Chanyeol slammed into a wall again, forming a large dent in the already crumbling structure. The smoky air filled with an ear piercing hiss from weak metal. Suho looked up to see a floodlight snap from its hold above Red Zone. Bolts came loose as the light swung violently back and forth, before the whole thing gave way to flames and collapsed.

“Move!”

He grabbed Chanyeol’s wrist and yanked him into the mud. His skin burned so hot, the heat stung through Suho’s gloves.

A metal bar smashed into a nearby wall, shattering any window that survived the fire. Chunks of cement flew into the night and splashed into murky puddles near the front gates.

“Where are the others?! What happened?!” Suho yelled over the roar of flames. Chanyeol must not have heard him, and if he did he didn’t acknowledge it.

He pulled his beret off and smacked it against his arms, only making the flames bigger and filling the air with more smoke. Suho gathered a ball of water from puddles further away and splashed it over Chanyeol’s head. His comrade fell back into the mud, completely extinguishing the flames that once consumed him.

“Chanyeol!” Suho dropped to his knees and wiped mud from Chanyeol’s arms and shoulders, revealing bare and bleeding skin. Chanyeol sat himself upright with his arms wrapped around himself to cover places his clothes burned away.

“What happened? Where are the others?” Suho shook him to snap him out of a daze.

“T-they’re inside. They're still inside.”

Suho didn’t think to ask what happened or if they survived; his first instinct was to run in there himself and find them. He had no idea what to expect, especially since he couldn’t determine how much time passed since he fell unconscious and didn’t know how long they remained trapped in the burning building.

Leaving Chanyeol in the mud to cool off, he ran up the front steps and past the fiery entrance. The elevator creaked from the intense heat, and Suho could hear the bands holding it up creaking with weakness.

He sprinted down the stairs instead, entering the smoke filled basement with his nostrils buried in the crook of his elbow. Most of the walls gave way to piles of debris, giving Suho a somewhat clear view of the training room through clouds of grey haze.

He heard a voice; one he had heard before but couldn’t determine in the midst of his own confusion. The sound drew him towards the restaurant, where shrieking echoed off cracking walls.

Suho stopped midway and squinted against the blur of smoke, making out two figures seemingly conjoined by the hip. Their outlines blended together, creating the image of some horrible experiment gone wrong.

It had two heads; one producing the ear piercing screams he heard and the other ducking below flames. As they drew closer, Suho realized two separate figures were standing beside one another, arms wrapped around necks and feet clumsily tripping over feet.

“I didn’t mean to! No! I didn’t mean to!” The figure’s shouting formed into words, making Suho’s stomach drop. It was Chen he heard, and looking hard enough, he realized it was Baekhyun dragging him along.

Sehun wasn’t with them. The clones were nowhere in sight.

“I didn’t mean to!” Chen kept saying, fighting against Baekhyun’s grip in an attempt to run back to something. Suho didn’t know what, but wherever he wanted to be, he wanted to be there desperately.

“No! I didn’t mean to!”

Baekhyun wrapped his arms around his torso and yanked him forward. He looked pale, tired, and dizzy, evident by the slouch in his stance and the way he constantly stumbled over Chen. Suho ran forward to grab onto one of them, it didn’t matter who, and guide them to safety.

As they made their way back to the entrance, Suho kept an eye out for the  _ others _ , as well as their missing comrades. He had one of Chen’s arms thrown over his shoulders and a tight grip on Baekhyun’s arm, dragging them along as he craned his neck to see beyond destroyed walls and rising flames.

No sign of them. He couldn’t determine if that should worry him, or put him at ease.

They made it out of the building faster than Suho expected. Chanyeol remained sitting in the mud, attempting to use the last scraps of his burned clothes to conceal his hot skin. Baekhyun pulled away from Suho’s grip and knelt down next to him, too out of it to speak.

“I didn’t mean to!” Chen screamed again, falling to his knees with tears in his eyes. “I didn’t mean to! It’s all my fault! It’s all my fault!”

Suho stood back, losing feeling in his legs. The others refused to give him any details, leaving his mind to fill in the blanks. His imagination created a terrifying rendition of what he suspected might’ve happened. No matter how hard he tried to hold back on the gory depictions, his mind only came to one conclusion; their comrade must’ve been dead.

⬣⬣⬣

They returned to El Dorado walking on air, their heads high in the clouds. Baekhyun lost all sense of his surroundings; an uncomfortable, yet familiar feeling to him. He shivered at the thought of his comrades, both of them, though it hadn’t really sunk in yet. He didn’t believe anything he saw, nor was he sure if he should. Sometimes he told himself it was a dream, other times he genuinely couldn’t tell.

The two days it took to return home felt like a few minutes. He lost track of time. He lost track of a lot of things. The moment they stepped foot past El Dorado’s walls, reality seemed to shift around him and he realized he walked for two days without processing any of it.

Chen disappeared in an instant. No one spoke to him, not knowing what to say. Chanyeol went upstairs to sleep. Baekhyun ended up following Suho to the beach, at a loss of what to do.

Suho mindlessly slipped his boots off and dipped his toes in the water. His eyes gazed over the rippling surface, looking completely lost and in search of something. Most likely closure, and Baekhyun wished he could provide it.

“I feel like I’m dreaming.” He said quietly, resonating with Baekhyun a little too much for his comfort. Hearing those words muttered forced his mind back into a state of delirium, sending him into a weird sense of panic.

“Do you wanna know what happened?” He asked, suddenly tempted to detail every disturbing image that haunted him. Perhaps not to lift the weight off his chest, but make Suho feel it with him. Not out of selfishness, but out of the need to rid himself of the loneliness that consumed him like a plague ever since the others stopped understanding him.

“Do I?”

“I think you should know. I don’t want you to drive yourself crazy with assumptions.”

“It must be bad.”

“Yes.”

Suho squeezed his hands into fists, fighting back the urge to break down in tears. He didn’t need Baekhyun to say anymore before he made up his mind that his assumptions must be true, or else Sehun most likely would’ve returned home with them.

“Tell me.”

Baekhyun didn’t hesitate to begin, and that little detail stood out to Suho more than it should’ve. He seemed oddly excited to talk about it, or rather anxious, and Suho found it concerning more than anything.

“They had him tied to a chair.” He nodded to himself, deciding that’s where he wanted to start. “He was conscious. Barely, but he was there. He was alive.”

Immediately, Suho felt he’d heard enough and almost shut Baekhyun up by smacking a hand over his mouth. However, he found he couldn’t move much, if at all, and allowed his comrade to continue.

“He was behind one of the curtains. They brought him out when Chen lost a game of chess. If he won, they’d spare him, but he didn’t. He didn’t win. They said they would kill him, and they are men of their words.”

No wonder Chen couldn’t even look him in the eye when they left Red Force Base. Suho wanted to reassure him it wasn’t his fault, but lying would’ve made him feel worse and Suho knew better than to think he could ever believe it.

Baekhyun paused, prompting his comrade to look up from the sand. The younger seemed completely lost in his own recollection; his eyes darting back and forth as his mind rolled over the graphic scene. He blinked rapidly to shake away his daze, but from the lack of a response when Suho reached out to touch his arm, he had a feeling Baekhyun’s mind only strayed further away.

The memories felt too real to be just that. Baekhyun somehow convinced himself his return to El Dorado never happened; how else could he explain the vivid image of  _ them _ taunting him back at Red Force Base and the sound of screaming blaring in his ears?

There he was; Sehun beaten badly and tied to a chair, blood running down one side of his face and an arrow still lodged in his shoulder. Bile burned Baekhyun’s throat hotter than the flames that engulfed Chanyeol’s arm from sheer panic.

Chen jumped up from the table and lunged forward, knocking the chess board on the floor and sending the black and red pieces flying into the air. In half a second, his opponent caught him by the shoulders and forced him into a hug, wrapping his arms around from behind to keep him still.

Chanyeol backed into a wall, cornered by his counterpart. Baekhyun’s clone disappeared after their fight. He had no one to stop him from interfering.

So, as soon as Sehůn stepped out from behind his captive’s chair, Baekhyun thrusted his saber forward, granted with terrible precision as a result of the weakness in his bandaged arm.

Nonetheless, it caught Sehůn off guard and caused him to jump back, nearly tripping over a chair leg. Then, he laughed, either at his own embarrassment or at Baekhyun’s pathetic attempt to kill him.

“A deal’s a deal.” He chuckled, running a hand through Sehun’s hair. “Don’t go trying to slice me open when it was your friend who sealed his fate.”

Chen slumped in his opponent’s arms, hanging his head low as tears spilled from his bloodshot eyes. Sehůn shrugged, slightly amused by the small whimpers he heard.

“Put that toothpick back in its holster and back the fuck off. You can’t scare me with your little light tricks, Flashlight.”

A gust of wind knocked Baekhyun off his feet and sent his weapon skidding across the floor. Sehůn nearly fell to his knees in a fit of laughter, but kept his composure for the sake of maintaining his role as a cold and heartless executioner.

“It’s a shame,” He sighed, stepping back and drawing his bow. “He’s pretty fucking handsome.”

Chanyeol yelled something. Chen yelled something. The  _ others  _ might’ve said something too. Baekhyun couldn’t tell. He couldn’t hear. His mind and body froze when the bow snapped faster than he could blink.

His aim was absolutely perfect, there was no other way to describe it. He released the bow with looseness in every part of his body, one eye closed, and a slight slouch in his shoulder. He hardly took any time to line up the shot and ready himself. The bow was raised, the arrow was shot, the target was hit.

It took Baekhyun roughly five seconds to process what happened. Five seconds of sitting on the floor, staring, stiff as a statue. Five seconds of listening to the voice in his head saying,  _ he’s dead. Don’t try to deny it. He’s dead and you can clearly see it. _

Five seconds passed, and the voice hadn’t been proven wrong. Sehun remained in a seated position, held up by the ropes wrapped tightly around him. His head fell back from the impact, resting on the backside of the chair. He had his eyes open. The last of his tears fell with no emotion or feeling behind them. Blood trickled from the corner of his lips and dropped to the floor.

The tip of the arrow went in through his mouth and made it halfway through the back of his skull before flesh and bone slowed the monumentum enough to bring it to a stop. The point poked through his red stained hair, bits of fleshy mush slipping off the end of it. The rest stuck out past his teeth and protruded from his face.

Baekhyun specifically remembered the look in his eyes. How horror flashed behind his eyelids just as the arrow shot through his gaping mouth. Then, the life slowly faded, and though his eyes remained shot open and as wide as before, something about them looked significantly different. They looked fake, like they were constructed from glass, like Sehun was nothing more than a lifeless doll. They looked black, dull, uninterested in whatever they were fixated on.

His hands twitched as his muscles caught up to the realization that they should be dead too, and then his whole body relaxed without moving an inch.

Sehůn liked the sight of the arrow lodged in his mouth and didn’t want to pull it out, ruining his display. Instead, he circled to the back of the chair to run his tongue over the tip and clean the blood running down the back of his victim’s neck.

He seemed completely unaware of his comrades violently attacking their enemies, who got the sudden idea that maybe doing something might help. Not that they could do much anyways, hence why Sehůn paid no attention to lightning bolts and balls of fire passing over his head.

Baekhyun didn’t react much either, remaining seated on the floor in a state of shock. Not until Chanyeol wrapped one arm around his torso and pulled him to his feet did he realize he needed to snap out of it and do something.

They didn’t move Sehun or attempt to retrieve his body. They had no time. All they could do was grab each other and run.

Chanyeol separated from the others when he made a wrong turn, and Baekhyun immediately jumped to the conclusion that  _ they _ killed him too. That is, until he noticed the entire maze went up in flames and knew it was a result of panic, not intention.

He would’ve liked to take something from Sehun before leaving him behind. His beret maybe. Some little accessory he liked carrying around. Anything to remember him by. But, the flames must’ve consumed everything left behind on ground zero, and that included the body.

“Baekhyun.” Suho said, startling his comrade out of his thoughts. Baekhyun blinked back to reality, the distant look in his eyes dissipating.

“Spare me the details. Just tell me if he made it.”

Suho didn’t know why he bothered asking. Based on their reactions and the situation he currently found himself in, the question answered itself. He knew the truth, but a small part of him held onto a sliver of hope that maybe he might’ve been wrong. A simple confirmation was all he needed to destroy his undesired optimism.

“They killed him.” Baekhyun shook his head. “He’s dead.”

The appropriate reaction to the news didn’t come. Suho wanted to cry, wanted to scream and beat his fists against the ground and curse to the wind and hurt those responsible, but he couldn’t. Instead, he simply nodded and wiped a single tear from his eyes.

“Oh.”

“Kai’s dead too.”

He looked up. “How do you know?”

“I just know. I saw his clone out in the desert.” His eyes grew distant again. “I saw him out there and he had Kai’s backpack on. At that moment, I knew.”

“But, there’s a chance-”

“He’s dead. I think I might know what they did to him, but I can’t say. I don’t want you to think about it too much. It’s better you don’t know.”

“Baekhyun…”

The aforementioned person looked up expecting Suho to follow with a question, but he never did. He had nothing to say. He couldn’t think of how to conclude their conversation.

“They’re killing us off one by one.” Baekhyun continued, not waiting long for Suho to finish his last thought. “First, it was Lay. Then, Kyungsoo. Kai, Sehun. Who’s next?” His eyes flickered again as his mind registered his own words, as did Suho’s, conscious of Xiumin’s name left unmentioned. “They won’t kill us all at once. They’ll take us out one after the other.”

“Stop.”

“They’ll come back to take another. They’ll keep coming back until they take us all.”

“Baekhyun, please-”

“There’s only four of us left. We don’t stand a chance against them. It’s only a matter of time before we-”

“Baekhyun!”

The waves came down harder onto the sand, soaking their boots and the bottom of their pants. Baekhyun rubbed his sleepy eyes and stepped backwards to avoid the rough waters.

“I’m sorry. I need some sleep.”

“Yes.” Suho cleared his throat and brushed the waves away with a gesture of his hand. “Please, get some sleep.”

“Maybe you should too.”

He mustered up a weak smile. “I can try, but I don’t think I will. Sleep well, Baekhyun.”

⬣⬣⬣

A lack of sleep didn’t come as a surprise to Suho when he rolled out of bed later in the afternoon with his eyes still wide open. Numbness settled in every crevice of his mind, making it hard to do anything other than stare up at the blank ceiling and wait for reality to sink in.

Despite everything Baekhyun said to him, he only shed one tear. A single tear escaped where a thousand more waited for the right moment. They would break free eventually, but until then, he remained as blank as the ceiling he stared at.

Boredom soon ate away at him, forcing him to his feet and out to the cliffs. The ocean rippled gently, glistening under the afternoon sun. The temperature leveled out so it wasn’t too hot for outdoor activities and dark clouds appeared in the distance, promising shade. There was no breeze.

Suho maneuvered through jagged rocks until his boots touched grass. Sparks jumped from the dew building up on green blades, sending strange sensations through his feet. Even from a distance, he felt the source of the static in the still air.

Chen stood at the edge of the cliff, staring down at the water below. He had his hands stuffed in his pockets, a jacket wrapped tightly around himself, his head low. He must’ve heard Suho coming; the wind no longer drowned out the sound.

They didn’t acknowledge each other for a while, even when Suho walked up to the edge with him and followed his gaze to the calmness of the ocean. He sensed silence made for better comfort than any attempt at reassurance, which would’ve failed in every way due to Chen’s reluctance to forgive himself.

They relished in each other’s presence, simply enjoying the fact that they still had someone to stand beside, even if no words were exchanged. With five of the original nine gone, it sometimes slipped their minds that at least they weren’t completely alone, and their comrades understood how they felt more than they realized.

He may have been pushing it, but Suho wrapped one arm around Chen’s shoulders and leaned into him. The latter didn’t reciprocate it, but he didn’t pull away either. Suho took this as a sign he might’ve appreciated it and didn’t let go until he felt ready to leave.

“I’m sorry.” Chen broke the silence after nearly ten minutes.

“Don’t apologize.”

“If I don’t, I’ll never let it go.”

“You did what you could. I’m not angry with you.”

“I’m angry with myself.”

“You don’t need to be.”

“I got him killed.”

“You didn’t-”

“Don’t try and tell me otherwise.”

“I’m not. I just don’t want you to beat yourself up over this.”

“You’re taking this better than I expected.” He sighed. “You do realize we’re never seeing him again? I fucking killed him. It’s all my fault he’s dead.”

Suho stayed quiet.

“We don’t even know what the fuck happened to Kai. How long will it be before they come back and take another?” He swallowed the knot in his throat. “I should be next.”

“Don’t say that.”

“Why not? I got Sehun killed; it’s only fair. You guys are better off without me.”

“No. We need you. All of us need each other.”

He scoffed. “You don’t need me. I’ll probably get you killed too. You might as well take off for Incheon to find the train, leave me here to rot because I deserve it.”

“Stop talking like that.” He pulled his arm back, feeling Chen’s shoulders begin to tense. “When they come back, because there’s no doubt they will, we won’t let them take another. We have to protect each other.”

Chen looked up to the clouds casted above his head, feeling a trickle of rain softly beating against his face. He smiled bitterly, then turned to face Suho for the first time since returning to El Dorado.

“I can’t protect you. We can’t even protect ourselves. When they come, because you know they will, I hope it’s me they take.”

⬣⬣⬣

Something soft brushed up against Chanyeol’s arm as he lied in bed, eyes closed but wide awake. The left side of the bed sunk slightly lower and the sheets thrown halfway over his body shifted further away. He felt cold skin against his hand, flinching at the contact.

“Sorry for waking you.” Baekhyun said quietly as he bundled up in the sheets and rested his head against Chanyeol’s shoulder.

“It’s fine. I wasn’t asleep.”

“Having trouble?”

“I guess.”

“Are you okay?”

“Sure.” He paused for a moment. “Are you?”

“I’m holding up.”

Silence followed. Chanyeol decided he liked it that way; simply hearing Baekhyun’s breathing level out as he dozed off provided enough comfort to put his troubled mind at ease. He rolled over onto his side and draped one arm over him as he watched his face relax with sleep.

Any attempt to follow suit was in vain. The image of Sehun intruded his thoughts as soon as blackness overcame his vision, forcing his eyes open with a jolt. Reality hadn’t hit, but the memories made themselves permanent residents in his mind. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t forget.

“Chanyeol.”

Said person mistook the small voice for sleep talk and didn’t acknowledge him. He gently patted him on the back of the head, thinking he’d doze off again.

“I think Kai’s dead.”

His eyelids pried open. He turned to face Baekhyun, realizing the sleep withering away on his face.

“What?”

“I think he’s dead. I guess I can’t say I know for sure, but I don’t see how he could still be alive. I’m not sure whatever I saw in the desert or if any of it was real, but I know whatever happened he must be dead.”

Chanyeol didn’t speak. He couldn’t. Baekhyun shifted further away when he felt heat radiating off his skin.

“We have no fucking way of getting to Incheon.” He said, remembering why Baekhyun and Kai left in the first place. It felt like ages ago, when finding the train to Incheon meant everything to them and thoughts of  _ them _ merely grazed their minds.

With Kai gone and most likely dead, they had no way of getting around besides on foot. Not to mention, only four of them remained, and four wouldn’t stand a chance against the others.

“It probably doesn’t matter anymore. I doubt there’s anyone left to save.”

“What about us?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess we wait until they come back.”

“And then what?”

“And then we’ll see what they do to us next.”

The arm snaked around Baekhyun’s torso tightened, burning him through his shirt. It constricted with every movement he made, albeit unconsciously.

“I don’t want to see another one of you get killed.” Chanyeol gritted his teeth as he spoke. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“There’s not much you can do.” He touched Chanyeol’s arm, testing the temperature and determining he’d cooled off enough to maintain contact. “They’ll kill us all off eventually. It’s just a matter of when.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes, I gonna try and update the next chapter in much less time to make up for this disaster of a chapter


	11. Chapter: 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> X-EXO take action

_ Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada _

_ NEO Zone (Red Force Sub-Base) _

_ April 19th _

_ 5:28 _

“Well, would you look at that. They’re slaughtering each other like fucking pigs.” Wendy sat back in her swivel chair, chuckling to herself.

The previous night and into the morning, NEO employees gathered around computer monitors to watch the fight back at Red Force Base through fuzzy security footage. Wendy originally had the cameras up to see if anyone tampered with the computers, but found herself getting side tracked when actual  _ living creatures _ made an appearance on screen.

Joy spread the word to others during lunch break, leading to a herd of intrigued scientists pushing through the door to watch over Wendy’s shoulder. They brought popcorn and soda from the vending machines and set up a circle of chairs to watch the showdown between Baekhyun and Baëkhyun.

“My bet’s on Baëkhyun,  _ our _ Baëkhyun .” Someone said, putting a hundred dollars on the table. They all contributed whatever was left in their wallets, most leaning towards the clone. When he lost, to everyone’s shock and horror, they put all their faith in Chën, hoping he’d get their money back.

“Hey! Would you look at that! We aren’t walking away broke today!”

Once the game of chess ended, all hell broke loose as soon as Sehůn released an arrow and the building went up in flames. Yeri nearly burst into tears at the sight, seeing her precious maze crumble like a house of cards.

“We worked so hard on that.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Joy patted her on the back. “At least not everything was destroyed.”

When EXO ran back to El Dorado with half their sanity, ËXØ crawled out of hiding to gather up the last of the flames in the palm of Chanyeøl’s hand and spare what remained of ground zero.

“Who do you think they’re going to take next?”

“I’m putting my bets on Chen. He probably wants to die after that embarrassing chess game.”

“I’m thinking Suho. 01 has his eye on him for sure.”

“Really? I have a feeling they’ll take Baekhyun next. I mean, our Baëkhyun will probably want revenge after getting his ass kicked.”

“Excuse me?!” Joohyun shouted, slamming her hands down on the desk. “Will you all stop watching the security cameras and get back to work?”

Nothing interesting happened post EXO’s departure, so the employees were quick to obey orders and gather up their empty bags of popcorn as they shuffled back to their desks. Wendy, Joy, Seulgi, and Yeri remained seated in front of monitors, waiting for another lecture.

“Girls,” Joohyun began, clapping her hands together. “Did we forget that ËXØ might’ve somehow hacked into our computers and downloaded a virus?”

“No, Miss Joohyun.”

“Then, why are we not doing anything about it?”

“What can we do?” Seulgi asked, throwing her hands up. “We’ve tried logging in a million times and nothing’s working. Do you want us to fly out to Korea and fix this?”

She didn’t answer, and the girls looked to one another in a panic.

“We’ll find a solution.” Wendy rolled to another computer and began typing despite not actually knowing what to do.

“Maybe we can try downloading a virus scanner.” Seulgi suggested.

“I can try, but I doubt it’ll let me.” Now having a plan, Wendy typed faster and logged into the web to find a trusted scanner to use. As soon as the search results came up, the screen glitched for a fragment of a second.

“I don’t like this.”

Regardless, she navigated to a virus scanner called WEAREONE. The link brought her to a page with nothing but a black screen and a little green cursor.

“What the hell is this?”

“I’ve never even heard of this scanner before. I don’t think we should use it. Find another.”

Wendy hit the back arrow, but the page refused to let her leave. The refresh sign flickered, before disappearing completely.

“How fucking convienent. I can’t go one second without completely breaking these computers.” She slammed the keyboard as if that would make a difference. Of course, it didn’t.

“You should restart the computer.” Yeri said.

Just as Wendy reached for the power button, the flashing cursor moved. One by one, a green letter appeared on the screen, forming a sentence.

_ Having trouble? _

The girls looked to one another, eyes wide and mouths hanging open. Then, they turned to the security footage, seeing nothing but scorched walls.

“Do you think…?”

“What kind of game are they playing?”

The cursor moved again, dropping below the first sentence to continue typing.

_ Whatever you’re looking for, you won’t find it. _

Wendy hit the escape keys, resulting in the screen glitching again. The words flipped upside down in a flash, then returned back to normal.

_ Everything you left behind at Red Force Base is going to stay at Red Force Base. Understood? _

“Try typing something.” Joohyun demanded. Wendy guided her fingers to the proper keys, hesitating as she thought of what to say.

_ Who is this? _

“It worked.”

_ You know who I am. You made me, after all. _

“Holy shit.” Wendy leaned back with her hands cupped behind her head. “So, it really is them.”

“I don’t see them on the cameras anymore.” Joy leaned closer to the monitor, squinting at the pixelated screen. Nothing but debris, dust, smoke.

“Wait.”

She hit the spacebar to zoom in. The smoke. It wasn’t moving.

“The screen’s frozen.” She turned back to the others. “I think they froze all the cameras.”

“They’ve completely taken over Red Force’s database. How the fuck is that even possible?”

Joohyun shoved Wendy aside and sat down to type another message.  _ How are you doing this? _

_ It’s simple; you designed me to be smart. Too smart. I was raised here. I was programmed on these computers; I know my way around all your security protocols and passwords. _

Joohyun looked back at Yeri, her eyebrows furrowed. “They’ll never outsmart us, huh?”

Yeri said nothing.

_ I’ve seen all the files. Everything you left behind. All of your failed experiments and plans for future projects. I know what I am to you; a pawn. _

The cursor stopped for a moment. Joohyun hovered her fingers above the keys, debating whether to respond or not. She couldn’t think of what to say, but the one on the other end of the conversation took too long to type again.

_ What are you trying to say? _ She eventually wrote.

_ I read my file. I always knew my purpose was to kill EXO, but you never told me it was my only purpose. You think I’m some mindless clone born from a series of numbers? You think I don’t feel? _

“My god.” Yeri breathed, speaking quietly to herself. “What have I created?”

_ You think I wasn’t scared when I realized what would happen to me? What you would do to me? I’ve hardly begun life and you want to take that away from me so soon? I’m not ready to die, not yet. _

The screen glitched again, creating a loud buzzing sound.

_ You were going to take everything away from me. Now, I’m going to take everything away from you. I think you’ve long overstayed your welcome, Red Force.  _

_ Consider us even. _

The monitor went black. A moment of silence, followed by the sound of hissing metal and sparks jumping from the back of the computer. The girls screamed as the lights went out and a row of monitors exploded one by one. Fire jumped from loose wires, leaping to the carpet and spreading across the floor.

“Get out!” Joohyun ushered them to the door as fire alarms went off and smoke triggered the sprinklers. They ran down the hall and to the rec room, splashing through puddles and wiping wet strands of hair out of their faces.

“What happened?! What’s going on?!” Employees shouted as they frantically gathered up their breakfast.

“Fire! Everyone, get outside!”

They evacuated the entire building as firefighters sprinted up the emergency stairs and to the computer lab. The girls wrapped blankets around themselves to dry their soaking wet clothes and stay warm in the morning spring air.

“Do you know what started to fire, Ma’am?” A firefighter asked Joohyun. Her eyes flickered to Yeri, who kept her head down.

“The computers overheated and blew up.”

“Blew up?”

“You heard what I said.” She laughed bitterly. “ËXØ’s completely taken over Red Force and now they’re destroying us from the inside out. It seems we can never catch a break from them, can we?”

⬣⬣⬣

_ Mokpo, South Korea _

_ El Dorado _

_ April 20th _

_ 18:03 _

Nothing happened for days. No changes in weather apart from their own doing. No sign of another presence. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Yet, despite the calm atmosphere, none of them could sleep. Whenever Baekhyun closed his eyes for long enough, memories of the desert and Red Force flashed across the back of his eyelids and scared him awake. Chanyeol couldn’t sleep because of Baekhyun’s ruckus, but he doubted he would even his comrade didn’t wake up screaming every hour.

Chen didn’t bother trying. He spent most of his time sitting at the edge of the cliff, keeping to himself. The others offered him food, asked him to come swimming with them, begged him to at least try and get some rest, and everytime he blew them off.

Suho visited the beach often whenever he found himself lying awake at night, which happened to be every night. The calm waters helped when meditating; something he found himself doing quite frequently since returning from Red Force Base.

He taught himself how to control the waves better, constantly pushing himself to improve his abilities. He needed to be ready. For when the  _ others _ returned, for when he had to protect his comrades. No matter how many times his clone claimed he wouldn’t kill him, he knew his life was in as just as much danger as the others. He needed to protect himself as well.

Chanyeol and Baekhyun came to visit him that night. They claimed it was out of boredom, but Suho sensed it had to be more than that. Fear perhaps. Paranoia.

They stripped down to their boxers and went for a swim as Suho played with the water, sending little ripples their way to make them bob up and down. He called to Chen asking him to join, but his comrade refused with a shrug.

“The water’s so nice today.” Chanyeol commented, floating on his back. He moved his arms back and forth to float closer to the shore, where Suho closed his eyes again to continue meditating.

“Hey.”

One eye opened. “Hey.”

“You’ve been down here a lot. I can tell you’re getting better.”

“Thank you. Maybe you should train with me. We need to be ready for-” He chose not to finish, seeing no reason to.

“I’ve tried, but fire is a lot more complicated than water.” He stuck his feet in the sand, rubbing it between his toes. “The thing about fire is that it’s got a mind of its own. Once it finds something to hold onto, it’ll keep spreading until it consumes everything.”

“But, it can be controlled.”

“It’s difficult. Too difficult.” He lit a little flame on the end of his finger. Suho lifted a ball of water with one swish of his hand and dropped it on Chanyeol, extinguishing the flame.

“But, it  _ can _ be controlled.”

Chanyeol sighed, pulling himself onto the shore and sprawling his limbs out to dry off. “Easier said than done.”

Suho twirled his finger and the water mimicked his movements. “There’s so much we can do with our powers, we just haven’t learned how to yet.”

“Like what?”

His mind immediately went back to Red Force Base. The water his clone manipulated to wash away his consciousness. He couldn’t forget how beautiful it looked.

“I don’t know, but I do know we are capable of so much more.”

“It’ll probably take us years to get stronger.” He turned away. “We don’t have that kind of time.”

“Chanyeol-”

“Just admit it, Suho.” He sat up. “It’s only a matter of time before they take us next.”

He didn’t comment, instead turning back to the ocean to watch the moon’s reflection on the surface. The glimmer reminded him of the purple and blue colors of Suhø’s water creation, though not nearly as attractive.

He wiggled his fingers to create waves, disrupting the stillness. They gently climbed the sand, barely reaching their feet before pulling away. The feel of currents nearly put him to sleep. His eyelids grew heavy as his thoughts drifted away with the water.

“Suho.”

“Hmm?” He blinked slowly.

“Where’s Baekhyun?”

Chanyeol jumped to his feet, startling him awake. He scanned the water, seeing nothing but ripples.

“Baekhyun?!” Chanyeol ran into the water and felt around the darkness below. “Baekhyun?!”

Suho felt movement against the currents, but couldn’t determine what it was. He followed behind Chanyeol, holding his pants up above his knees.

The waves grew more intense, knocking them off their feet. Chanyeol went under for a few seconds, soon resurfacing with water filling his lungs.

“Fuck!” He yelled while coughing into his elbow. “What are you doing?!”

“It’s not me!” Suho froze, realizing what he said. It wasn’t him. He had no control over the ocean anymore.

Chanyeol dove headfirst into the water, disappearing below the surface. Meanwhile, Suho frantically splashed his way back to the shore, scanning the beach for any sign of  _ him _ .

He saw a figure at the edge of the sand, making his heart beat harder against his chest. The figure stepped closer, speed walking with the intention of reaching Suho as fast as possible.

“You!” His voice escaped his mouth before his brain could comprehend it. He nearly sent the entire ocean crashing down on the figure when a hand grabbed his shoulder, and he realized the person before him wasn’t an enemy.

“Suho.” Chen shook him, snapping him out of his panic. “What’s happening?”

Before receiving an answer, Chanyeol’s head popped up out of the water with his arms wrapped tightly around Baekhyun. Baekhyun coughed violently into his shoulder, his head lolling to the side from a lack of oxygen.

“Help!” Chanyeol yelled as he struggled to swim against the push of waves. Suho guided them towards the shore, careful not to use too much water and send more through their nostrils.

“What happened?” Chen asked as Chanyeol crawled up the sand, dragging Baekhyun with him.

“Rough waters.” Suho swallowed dryly. “It wasn’t me.”

Apart from Baekhyun’s coughing, the beach fell silent. The water returned to normal. Suho looked towards El Dorado, then up at the cliffs. He saw nothing.

“It’s only been days.” Chen whispered, sounding rather unfazed. “They’re already back.”

Suho lifted his hand, feeling moisture building in the air. It moved, prompting him to follow. He went up the beach and to the courtyard, stopping at the old fountain.

A whistle. He turned towards the wall to his left, seeing a blur of movement pass the window. He looked up to the black flag waving high above El Dorado. A tear formed on one of the corners.

“Show yourself already.” His voice trembled as he spoke. “I know you’re here.”

“I know.” The shadowy figure stepped out from behind the stairs with his hands in his pockets and a grin on his lips. “Long time no see, Junmyeon.”

Suho didn’t speak, instead raising his fists.  
“I think you know why we’re here. My comrades have no patience and I saw this as an opportunity to see you again.”

“You’re not taking another one.”

He chuckled. “Junmyeon, you know that’s not true. I can’t stop my comrades from doing what they were built to do, and neither can you. You’re going to get yourself killed if you try.”

“And so what if I do? That’s not exactly a problem for you, is it?”

Suhø’s eyes broke contact for a second. “I told you I won’t let you die. Not yet.” 

The silence that followed prompted Suhø to look up. Only, instead of seeing his counterpart, he saw a ball of water charging at his face. In the blink of an eye, his head shot back and his feet slipped out from under him. He hit the ground hard, gasping from the impact to his ribs.

“Let me make one thing clear,” Suho grabbed the front of his jacket and yanked him up, feeling his knees trembling beneath him. “You do not get to dictate what happens to me, or any of my comrades. If you think I’m going to let you take another life and walk out of here untouched, you’re dead fucking wrong.”

Suhø held his hands up in defense. “I sense I may have pissed you off. This reaction is more than unexpected.”

Suho couldn’t agree more, but he refused to let his panic show.

“Fine, Junmyeon. If it’s a fight you want, it’s a fight you will get.” He struck his opponent in the side of the head without warning and jumped to his feet. Suho stumbled back, reaching for the stairs to steady himself.

“I won’t kill you, but that doesn’t mean I can’t make you hurt.”

“I don’t think I can restrain myself nearly as well.” Suho clenched his fists, feeling all of his pent up anger and absolute disgust for the person before him boiling over. Sehun, Kai, Lay, Kyungsoo, Xiumin, it all gave him the fuel he needed to launch another wave at his opponent.

Suhø stopped it with one hand and brushed it aside. “I can tell you’re getting stronger. I’m impressed. But-” He deflected another wave. “You’re not as strong as me.”

“Shut up!” He flung his arm and another wave shot forward. Despite his efforts, not a drop touched Suhø’s red suit.

“Don’t start getting careless. Your attacks need to be smart, calculated, executed well. Flinging yourself around like a mad man does nothing but wear you down. Not to mention, you look like a fool.”

“Shut up!” Suho could hardly keep himself upright with every strike. His knees trembled more and more, threatening to fail him.

Suhø merely brushed another wave away. “This is getting boring, Junmyeon. I don’t think wasting your time on me is very wise.” He nodded towards the beach. “Don’t you have comrades to protect?”

“I swear, I swear I’ll-” He sucked in a breath, his chest heaving. “I’ll fucking kill you for what you did.”

“Me? What have I done? I didn’t lay a finger on Kai or Sehun. If that’s what you’re so mad about, go take it out on them.”

“Don’t act innocent!” His voice strained. “You’re just as guilty as the rest of them!”

“Why’s that? I haven’t killed anyone.”

“You could’ve stopped them, but you didn’t! You let them die!”

“And so did you.”

Suho dropped to his knees, panting and sobbing and shaking and feeling completely disoriented. All of the emotions he’d been holding back rose to the surface, spilling from every corner of his body.

“You fucking monster! Why won’t you just kill me already?!”

Suhø shook his head and started down the beach. “I don’t have to explain myself to you. You will never understand, and I’d like to keep it that way. My secrets die with me, and for the record, I’m not a monster.”

⬣⬣⬣

Chen separated from the others, making his way to the cliffs to stay out of sight. He sat down at the edge with his knees pulled close to his chest, listening to the sound of water beating down on the cement and shouting from his comrades.

He squeezed his eyes shut and cried. Grey clouds rolled in, casting darkness over him. He felt rain falling down on his head, heard thunder booming as loud as bombs, felt static in the air.

Sparks jumped from his skin, giving him a little jolt. He looked up, wiping his tear stained cheeks with his sleeve, and saw someone approaching him from afar. The lightning from above found a source of metal connected to the figure’s lip ring and struck the small chain in a flash. The figure didn’t even flinch.

“Jongdae, I’m so happy we ran into each other like this. You’ve been on my mind since our game of chess.” He skipped forward and stopped right in front of Chen. “How are you? I hope you haven’t been beating yourself up over what happened.”

Chen pulled his knees closer, though he felt slightly relieved to see his clone. Chën watched his face curiously, searching for any sign of fear.

“I don’t know why, but I get the sense you might be...glad to see me.”

“Maybe.”

“Oh?”

Chen looked out at the ocean again. He felt detached from his own body, like his mind and soul watched the rest of him from above and he had no control over what his body did next. He turned to Chën again, both dread and desperation drowning him in a sea of his own misery.

“Please.” He said quietly as more tears fell from his reddened eyes.

“Please what, Jongdae? I can’t read minds.”

“Please, just kill me already.”

Chën smiled to himself, satisfied with the response.

“You want me to kill you? Not gonna put up a fight, go out like champ after...well, you know…”

“I don’t care anymore. Just kill me.”

He shook his head. “Oh Jongdae, so pathetic. You lose one game of chess, and suddenly your whole life falls apart. You should be glad your comrade is dead. Finally put him out of his misery.”

“Put me out of my misery.” Chen raised his voice over the thunder. “Please, I know you want to.”

“Now, what about the others? Don’t you care about them anymore? You know they won’t take this well.”

“Stop. Stop talking and do it.”

“I would but-” He sighed, kicking at rocks. “It’s not fair. All the others got to kill their targets in such fun ways. Me? I only get to kill you cause you begged for it.”

“Kill me however you want, I don’t care. Please.”

Chën looked down at him, frowning at the desperation in his eyes. He stepped back as lightning came down from the skies and traveled to his fingers. “Fine, but know that this is the most disappointing death I will ever bear witness to.”

Chen got to his feet with his arms wrapped around himself. He stared his clone dead in the eyes, pleading with nothing but his gaze to get it over with. He ran out of patience days ago.

Chën raised one hand, sticking his index finger and thumb out to imitate a gun. He cocked his head with one eye closed and smiled. “I wish we could’ve spent more time together. I would’ve loved to play another game of chess before killing you slowly.”

Chen nodded.

“I’ll tell your comrades you hardly suffered. It was quick and easy. They’d like that, wouldn’t they?”

“Yes.”

“Alright then, any last words?”

“No.”

“Hm, shame. Well, I’d like to say something; it was a pleasure doing business with you, Jongdae, and I hope I will have more opportunities to bargain for meaningless lives in the future. Bang!”

He lowered his thumb, sending a blast of lightning shooting from the tip of his finger. The bolt hit Chen directly in his left eye, burning through the back of his skull. The blood oozing from the empty socket bubbled and dripped down his face. Chën looked directly through the hole, seeing the ocean past his head.

His body fell down the edge of the cliff, landing onto the jagged rocks below. The sound of a spine snapping in half echoed throughout the caves. Chën watched with amusement as the waves washed over the rocks and carried the broken body away.

⬣⬣⬣

Chanyeol lost sight of Chen. He would’ve gone looking for him, but the shadows on his tail forced him to keep running forward. He had Baekhyun’s hand in his, dragging him up the stairs and into the empty hallways of El Dorado.

Having no idea where to go or what to do, he kept running with no destination in mind. The sound of boots bounced off the walls followed by the shadows of their pursuers, illuminated by the flames covering Chanyeøl’s arms.

They could only run so far. Chanyeol pulled Baekhyun into a bedroom and pushed him under the bed, then crawled beside him so half of his body laid on top of him. He cupped a hand around Baekhyun’s mouth and waited.

They listened for footsteps. A minute passed, and no sign of them. Chanyeol almost poked his head out to check, but saw a shadow in the doorway and froze. He unintentionally squeezed Baekhyun tighter, causing him to yelp.

The shadow gave way to a figure covered in flames. He stood in the doorway for a moment, looked around, searched for any indication that his enemies were near. Chanyeol held his breath, afraid of being too loud.

He took one last look around, before continuing down the hall. When he felt the coast was clear, Chanyeol pulled his hand away from Baekhyun’s mouth and crawled out from under the bed.

“What now?” Baekhyun whispered.

“We need to find the others. Come on.”

They crept out of the room with all their weight shifted onto their toes. Baekhyun kept a firm grip on his saber and Chanyeol kept a firm grip on his arm, trusting that his comrade would handle a fight.

They snuck into another room and looked out the window to find any sign of the others. They spotted a head of red hair down in the courtyard, and from the looks of it, he hadn’t been injured.

“We need to get down there.” Chanyeol whispered, creeping towards the door.

“What about Chen?”

“We’ll find him too. He must still be outside.” He peered around the corner with his back pressed against the wall, watching for movement. No one in sight. They kept going.

Baekhyun somehow got ahead of him and reached the stairs first. He ran across the intersecting hall, then beckoned Chanyeol to follow.

The moment his boot stepped forward, a brick moved and scared him back into the doorway. He looked beyond the frame to see a dark figure maneuvering around piles of debris. He hadn’t noticed them yet.

Baekhyun squatted beside a half wall with the handle of his saber cradled tightly to his chest. Chanyeol dropped lower too, craning his neck to see the figure beyond broken pillars.

“Hurry.” Baekhyun mouthed, waving him over.

Chanyeol took a deep breath, then sprinted across the hall while still maintaining a crouching position. He landed at Baekhyun’s side, accidentally bumping into the wall and alerting their stalker.

He froze. Baekhyun froze. The footsteps drew nearer, moving painfully slow. Chanyeol’s hand slid into his comrade’s, giving it a tight squeeze.

The seconds dragged on for what felt like eternity. The figure looming over them remained standing directly on the other side of the wall, refusing to move until he felt confident his prey weren’t there.

Glowing eyes ran over the hall, seeing nothing but debris. He listened for any more noises. Nothing.

Chanyeol might’ve passed out if he held his breath any longer. He finally allowed himself to breath again when he heard boots marching in the opposite direction, slowly but surely.

“We need to go.” Baekhyun said, gesturing to the stairs ahead of them. Chanyeol didn’t move just yet, fearing their stalker was still close.

“Wait.”

He could still hear his footsteps. His back most likely would’ve been turned, but Chanyeol refused to risk it. He stayed seated.

Heat rose in his body, burning Baekhyun’s hand. He pulled back, biting his lip to smother the cry of pain lingering on his tongue. Chanyeol didn’t notice, too focused on the thumping of boots.

“Chanyeol, calm down before you catch fire.” He whispered as the heat radiating off his body grew in intensity. Chanyeol took a deep breath, but it did little to help.

“Just relax. We’re almost out of here.”

No matter how hard he tried, the temperature of his body spiked. He squeezed his fists together, suppressing the urge to burst into flames.

“Hold on just a little longer. Stay calm.”

His hands shook as a red glow shone through the gaps between his fingers. Baekhyun grabbed his arm and hugged him rightly, feeling the heat burning through his jacket.

Something warm touched Chanyeol’s upper lip. He reached up with shaking fingers, feeling a trickle of blood running from his nostrils. A drop fell past his chin, staining his shirt.

The slow footsteps came to a complete stop. The fiery figure turned around and tilted his nose up in the air, getting a whiff of iron. The smell drew him towards the half wall, overwhelming his senses and making his eyes glow brighter.

Chanyeol cupped his hands around his nose in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding. A drop landed on Baekhyun’s hand, boiling hot against his skin.

“It’s okay. Tilt your head back. Keep pressure on it.” He wanted to help more, but couldn’t touch Chanyeol without burning himself again.

Chanyeol did as he was told and looked up at the ceiling with his hands pressing down on his nose. He shut his eyes for a moment to remind himself to relax; panicking only made it worse and put them in more danger.

Just a few seconds. That’s all it took for Baekhyun to vanish and for Chanyeol to realize it. He opened his eyes and looked around, finding himself alone and covered in his own blood.

“Baekhyun?” He didn’t bother whispering anymore.

“Baekhyun?!” He jumped to his feet with one hand on his nose and ran down the stairs.

“Baekhyun!” He ran out to the courtyard, where Suho sat, looking completely dazed.

“Baekhyun!”

He heard no response. He never would. Baekhyun vanished and they had yet to discover what happened to Chen. The clones disappeared. Suho and Chanyeol found themselves completely alone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seven down, two to go


	12. Chapter: 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finding their missing comrades

Mokpo, South Korea

El Dorado

April 21st

4:08

Suho stood at the edge of the water with his boots off and his toes buried in the wet sand. The placid ocean hardly made any indication that it wasn’t made of glass, and only stirred when a hand brushed the waves into movement.

“Alright.” Chanyeol came marching down the beach with a backpack strung over his shoulder and a box of jerky packets in hand. He counted their food supplies while pacing, keeping his head low so he didn’t see Suho’s attention drawn elsewhere.

“We’ve got enough here for the trip. It won’t be long, so I didn’t grab too much that the pack gets too heavy, but it’ll definitely be enough to last us about four days.”

He shoved the packets into a side pocket. “We should get moving now. Waiting any longer only gives  _ them _ a chance to fuck around before getting someone killed. I’m sure Chen and Baekhyun would appreciate it if we didn’t take too long.”

Suho brushed his hand aside, creating a little wave to disrupt the stillness of the surface. Chanyeol looked up from his supplies to watch, and though he found the sight rather peaceful, he didn’t stare long.

“Suho.”

“Yes?”

“We need to get going.”

Water splashed onto their boots, forcing Chanyeol to step back. “Are you listening to me? We need to leave.”

“Okay.”

He leaned forward to see Suho had his eyes closed and his hands moved with the flow of currents, feeling fish and rocks and sand beating against the force. Chanyeol looked out at the ocean again, noticing the water was especially violent near the cliffs.

“What is it?”

Suho opened his eyes with a sigh. He felt something, but he couldn’t tell what. A large fish perhaps. It must have been a big one, judging from the way the currents carried its weight.

“Nothing.”

“Well then, let’s go. Who knows what they’re doing to Baekhyun and Chen right now.” He shook the thoughts away. “We can’t keep them waiting.”

⬣⬣⬣

Mokpo, South Korea

Red Force Base

April 21st

18:22

Ice cold metal. It was all Baekhyun felt when his consciousness came crawling back to him, slowly and desperately. He didn’t have his eyes open, but he knew where he was. The smell of ashes filled his nostrils, scratching at his throat until he had no choice but to cough.

He lied flat on his back, face towards the harsh lights on the ceiling. He dimmed the lights with a flick of his wrist, allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness and pry themselves open.

He recognized the room almost immediately. The metal table Red Force abandoned him on when they found better things to do with the other members. To his side, he saw a plate of syringes filled with a blue substance he knew all too well.

“You’re not restrained.”

He shot up at the sound of a voice, the pain in his neck sinking in. His gaze fell on a figure sitting in the corner of the room, eyes hooded and glowing orange.

“You could leave if you want to.”

Baekhyun felt heat sweltering throughout the lab, making sweat drip down the back of his neck. He threw his legs over the edge of the table, but wouldn’t dare move any further.

“What?” Chanyeøl scoffed. “You don’t want to leave?”

Baekhyun opened his mouth to speak, but his voice got caught in his throat. Chanyeøl chuckled at the sight. He rose to his feet, now towering over his hostage.

“Now’s your chance.” He shrugged. “I’ll give you a ten second head start. When that time is up, Baëkhyun will come find you.”

Sweaty palms gripped the edge of the table as his heart raced against his rib cage. The heat radiating off Chanyeøl’s body suffocated him to the point he nearly gasped.

“Ten seconds, Baekhyun.”

“No. Please.”

“Start running.”

He fell over the opposite side of the table, stumbling as numbness lingered in his legs from the last of the drugs running through his system. He fought against his own body as he forced himself upright and shoved the metal doors open with his shoulder, counting down the seconds in his head.

“You’re gonna need to run a lot faster than that if you want to reach that fence alive!” Chanyeøl’s voice echoed throughout the hall, chasing after Baekhyun.

He made a sharp left turn and nearly fell into a window, catching himself on the stair railing. Three seconds left. He couldn’t even see the front entrance.

Soot and debris covered the floors up ahead, making it difficult to get around. He jumped over bricks and maneuvered around chunks of cement as he covered his mouth and nose with the sleeve of his scout jacket.

It got to the point where he couldn’t step one foot forward without toppling into a pile of dust and ashes. The first floor was a complete obstacle course. If he wanted to reach the entrance, he needed to get higher up.

“Times up!” Chanyeøl yelled. “Baby, he’s all yours.”

Using the busted stairs for support, Baekhyun hoisted himself into the air vents with all the strength he could muster in his upper body. The sound of metal scraping against the floor urged him to move faster, quietly sliding the vent cover behind him.

The metal reverberations hardly sounded as Baekhyun distributed his weight evenly from his hands to his knees. But, Baëkhyun heard it. His ears perked up as his eyes followed the movement above his head.

He stopped dragging his saber and pointed the tip at one of the vents. “Chanyeøl.” He said in a sing-song voice. “He’s in the vents.”

Baekhyun crawled forward, losing any sense of direction in the dark metal tunnel. Light broke through the vent opening up ahead. Underneath, Chanyeøl and Baëkhyun waited.

“He’s coming.” He said, turning his ear to the ceiling.

They saw a shadow pass over the opening. Chanyeøl raised a fistfull of fire, chucking it upwards and blowing a hole in the hot metal. Plaster crumbled into dust and the vent collapsed from the lack of support.

Baekhyun desperately reached out for something to hold onto, but found nothing in front of him as he fell to the floor. His knees hit metal and his hands slapped the broken plaster, slicing his palm open.

When he lifted his head, he saw a pair of yellowish eyes piercing through the cloud of dust. As the air cleared, the features of his face became visible.

A scar. Deep and dark red. Stretching from one ear to the other, passing beneath his eyes, running over the bridge of his nose. Baëkhyun took the chain dangling from his ear and extended it to the other side of his face so it matched the length of his scar perfectly.

Feathers from dead chickens garnished the side of his chain, intertwined with braids of white hair. His eyes flickered wildly, glowing bright against the paleness of his face.

His saber extended forward, hooking onto Baekhyun’s jacket sleeve and pulling his arm up. Blood dripped through his fingers and pooled at his feet. Baëkhyun nearly fainted from the smell.

“I don’t know if I can contain myself.” He laughed as he his head lolled with dizziness. “I might have to skip the torture and just gut you.”

Baekhyun flinched when he snatched his wrist and ran his tongue along his bloody palm. Chanyeøl pulled him back just as Baekhyun felt teeth sinking in.

“Control yourself. You don’t want to go make a fool of yourself again, do you?”

“I’m sorry, I can’t resist.”

“Well, you’d better get your shit together before you embarrass yourself again.”

“I don’t know how you do it, Chanyeøl. The smell, the taste…” He fell into his arms. “It’ll drive you insane!”

He seemed distracted. Chanyeøl kept his focus on snapping him out of his trance. Baekhyun slowly rose to his feet and stepped back.

“Baëkhyun, stand up. Quit acting like this.”

“I just wanna make him bleed already. Why do you insist we toy with him first?”

Baekhyun straightened himself out and reached out with his clean hand.

“I just want to have a little fun before we kill him. Admit you do too, you psycho son of a bitch.” Just as he yanked Baëkhyun upright, Baekhyun snatched the saber out of his hand and darted in the direction he came.

The lights flashed overhead almost as if to light his way to freedom. Only, they didn’t. They lit the way for the others, and led him in the opposite direction he needed to go.

But, he couldn’t turn around. He couldn’t stop to find a route taking him to the entrance or slash his way through with the threat of being burned alive. His only option; run. Run and don’t fucking turn back for anything.

He knew they weren’t directly behind him and turning every corner he did. He also knew they were following him. His familiarity with the building did little to give him an advantage. They knew their way around just as well, if not better.

Footsteps echoed from the loft above and rang from every direction. He couldn’t tell exactly where they were, but sensed two pairs of eyes cutting through the darkness to watch him, preying on him. The blood from his hand left trails in his place; arrows to point them in the right direction, as if the smell alone wasn’t enough.

His chest heaved, lungs burning from the ash filled air. The lack of oxygen getting to his lungs went straight to his head, making the hall warp into a blurry, narrow tunnel leading down to the gates of hell in the form of an elevator.

He couldn’t go down to ground zero, not when the first floor hardly had the strength to hold itself up. He came to a skidding stop with the elevator doors inches in front of him, bent and broken from the weakness residing in the structure.

The hall to his left led to a lunchroom, if he remembered correctly. To his right, some offices or a rec room. Either way, he wouldn’t find a way out.

“Baekie,” A whisper drifted to his ears. “Keep running. I like the chase.”

He went right. Whether he found offices or a rec room, both seemed like better hiding spots than the lunch room. His sore legs trembled as they carried him down the hall, slowing down with each dreadful second.

His shoulder rammed into the door ahead and he fell forward into a bathroom. With no time to search for the room he expected, he yanked a stall door open and planted himself on the back of the toilet.

The door swung inward and a figure stepped inside. Through the gap in the side of the door, Baekhyun saw the silhouette of a man much larger than himself. No, not a man. A monster.

“Baekhyun?” He leaned forward to check beneath the doors. “I know you’re in here. I can smell you.”  
Baekhyun grabbed a wad of toilet paper and pressed it against his bleeding palm. He knew it wouldn’t make a difference, but fear prompted him to at least _try_ and stay alive, whether that mean do something pointless or do something stupid.

In hindsight, doing something stupid didn’t seem all that unreasonable. Darting out of the bathroom at least ensured he had places to escape to. Locked in a stall, he had nowhere to turn.

Chanyeøl kicked his door inward, his entire body on fire. Baekhyun heard a shrill scream, one that cut through momentary silence with such intensity, it reminded him of a banshee. The smile on Chanyeøl’s face made him realize who produced the sound; the initial fact being lost to him due to a violent fit of delirium.

Desperation soon overcame him, coupled with bouts of kicking, screaming, and flinging his saber like mad. He fought against air with his eyes closed, assuming at least one throw would land.

Chanyeøl merely laughed at the sight, before snatching his elbow and pulling him forward. Fire fervently jumped from his hand to Baekhyun’s skin, leaving horrible red patches along his arm.

The adrenaline gave him enough energy to take Chanyeøl’s knee cap out with a swift move of his foot, then wriggle his way out of his burning grip and stumble towards the door. Pain ran deep throughout his arm as the polluted air stung the exposed flesh, nearly bringing Baekhyun to his knees.

He pushed through, one bloody hand wrapped in shredded toilet paper and one burned arm trembling close to his chest. The further he ran, the less he felt, pain giving way to numbness.

By the time the entrance popped up in his peripheral vision, his knees gave out before he could process it. One free hand caught him as he hit the floor, minimizing the bruising on his legs. He looked around, coughing into his shoulder, searching for the  _ others _ .

Nothing but debris and ashes. With what little strength he had, he rose to his feet, ankles wobbling under his weight. He dragged himself towards the entrance, falling short of a decent pace.

Up above, hidden in the shadows consuming the loft, scintillating eyes tracked his movements, besotted with his bleeding and injured prey.

Baekhyun fell outward with the door and landed on his back in the mud. Any futile attempt to stand sent a wave of pain rushing through his body and temporarily blackened his vision.

Baëkhyun jumped down from the loft and headed for the entrance with a skip in his step. Baekhyun heard him humming; some sweetly sinister tune that sent chills down his spine. The panic that set in forced him out of the mud and to his feet, in spite of the needles of pain perforating his limbs.

“Baekhyunie!” Baëkhyun giggled as he stepped beyond the door frame. “I’m all out of patience! I’ll slaughter you right here like a fucking pig!”

The front gates were secured by chains. Baekhyun yanked at the metal cage stuck between him and freedom in an attempt to pry it open, but it refused to budge.

“Looks like you aren’t going anywhere, Baekie!”

He scanned the fence for any sign of an opening, a tear in the metal, holes dug beneath by any animals. Anything that could aid him in getting to the other side.

Nothing but barbed wire for miles.

“Baekhyun!”

His brain shut down, leaving his body to do all the thinking. Without hesitation, he dropped the saber and gripped onto the barbed wire, digging his boots into the fence and pulling himself upwards. Sharp metal cut into his palms, stretching his skin open until he couldn’t stifle the cry of pain brewing in his chest anymore.

He got about three feet above the ground before it became too unbearable. His feet slipped from the fence and landed in the mud, pulling the rest of him down and slicing him up even more.

He tried again, but the mess of wires held onto him with a death grip. It hooked onto his hair and clothes, dug into his face, sunk its sharp claws into his wrists. He fought against it, pulling and squirming to free himself from the fence’s grasp, but the more he moved, the deeper metal sunk into his skin.

“Stop moving.” Baëkhyun demanded, watching him struggle from behind. “You’re stuck, and you’ll only make it worse if you keep moving.”

Baekhyun stopped and inhaled deeply to calm himself. He couldn’t turn his head to see the figure behind him, but felt his hands on his shoulders.

“You’ve really got yourself lodged in there.” Baëkhyun chuckled. “I might as well leave you here.”

Baekhyun jerked back in a panic, inadvertently slitting his wrists open. His body spasmed from the sting and buried itself deeper in the clutches of the fence.

“You smell so good.” Baëkhyun inhaled the scent of blood running down the barbed wire, his eyes rolling back in his head. “I want to watch you bleed out.”

The barbed wire hooked onto Baekhyun’s face sliced his eyelid open, resulting in both blood and tears running down his cheeks. His teeth sunk into his bottom lip to keep himself from crying out and worsening his situation, but the persistent torture of wires cutting deeper into his flesh made it near impossible.

“Just kill me.” He choked out.

“What’s that?”

“Kill me. I’d rather die at the hands of you than bleed to death. Please. It hurts so bad.” His body unconsciously shivered and tore his wrists open a centimeter more.

“I don’t think I will. I like seeing you like this; a mangled mess of blood, flesh, and wires. I can’t even think straight.” He buried his face in his hands. “It’s all so... _ much _ .”

“It hurts.” He began to hyperventilate, despite his efforts to stop himself. The rapid movement of his chest shifted the fence ever so slightly, hooking onto the flesh of his scalp and tearing it open, staining his goldish-white hair a dark crimson.

“God! Just kill me, please!” He couldn’t help but jerk back again and deepen the wounds scattered across his body.

“No, Baekhyun. I said I wanted to watch you die a slow and painful death, and here we are. The universe has blessed me with this sight; I’m not going to ruin it for myself.”

Baekhyun let his head fall forward. The wires tangled in his hair peeled his scalp back and pulled the fibers loose. He lifted his arms slightly to try and unhook his wrists, but the vertical cut running up to his elbows only folded open.

“I’m sure you’ll die soon enough.” Baëkhyun continued, licking the blood dripping from the fence and onto his fingers. “It shouldn’t take too long.”

Baekhyun lost it in him to speak. He felt nothing but pain, warm and thick liquid running all over his body, sharp metal pricking at his sensitive skin. He wanted to close his eyes so he wouldn’t see the skin disappearing from his hands and arms, but the fence hooked onto his eyelids tight and wouldn’t let them close without tearing them in half.

He had no choice but to stare forward with blood dripping into his eyes. Stare out at the emptiness of the desert, the sand getting pushed around by a breeze, a few little critters scurrying by, the sun dipping below the horizon.

His mind drifted back to the day Kai disappeared, how alone he felt stranded in fields of sand. The vast emptiness that surrounded him, just as it did now. Only, he had nowhere to go anymore. He couldn’t march back to El Dorado and see the others. He was trapped in that barbed wire fence, bound to stare into the sandy abyss till death gave him a release.

⬣⬣⬣

Chanyeol had no patience. Suho didn’t blame him, but he couldn’t help his annoyance whenever his comrade snapped him out of his reveries to complain about his meager pace.

No doubt, Suho felt just as anxious to find the others, but his mind constantly drifted beyond his control, and one person slithered his way into his thoughts without welcoming.

_ Him _ .

What bothered him most was that he couldn’t even begin to understand what went on in his artificial brain. Why his comrades kept dropping like flies, but he remained unscathed. Why he seemed slightly more  _ human _ than Red Force’s other creations.

“Come on, Suho.” Chanyeol snapped every time he fell behind. “What’s up with you? Our comrades are in danger, and you’re over here daydreaming like you have no cares in the world.”

Suho didn’t respond, having no energy to justify his behavior, or at least give an explanation. Chanyeol wouldn’t understand. He couldn’t even understand.

Instead, he picked up the pace until Chanyeol stood at his side and carried on with his focus locked on the desert ahead, conscious not to let himself drift too far for too long.

Chanyeol sensed something on his mind. He had for a while, but too many things invaded his own thoughts to remember to check up on Suho.

It seemed like a good time, seeing as how they were alone and left to walk for miles in silence. He caught Suho falling behind again and slowed to meet his pace.

“You’re worried, aren’t you? That...what happened to Sehun...will happen again?”

Suho shrugged. That was part of it; he didn’t even want to think about what  _ they _ might’ve done to Baekhyun and Chen. And, honestly, it pissed him off that that wasn’t it. He couldn’t go one second without having his mind taken over by that  _ demon _ that stalked him in his dreams more than in reality.

“I’m worried too. Terrified, honestly. After seeing what they did to Sehun…” Chanyeol shivered at the thought, tears pricking the corners of his eyes.

“I feel guilty.” He confessed, much to his own surprise.

“Why?”

“Because I’m still alive, and the other’s aren’t.”

Chanyeol dropped his head with a sigh. “We did what we could to protect them, but…there was nothing we could do.”

“But, there were so many opportunities to kill me, and yet I’m still alive. It’s not fair. I just don’t understand.”

“You know our time will come eventually.”

Suho stopped, prompting Chanyeol to follow suit.

“I don’t mean to scare you, but you know it’s true. They’ll never stop hunting us until we’re dead. The least we can do is keep fighting until the very end.”

He wanted to believe it. Not long ago, he would’ve. But, something about the figure in red that lurked in the darkness of his mind convinced him otherwise.

He wasn’t being hunted like the others. He wouldn’t be killed like the others. He had no reason to be afraid like the others, and that scared him the most.

⬣⬣⬣

They woke up early the next morning to continue their walk. Judging from the amount of time it took them last visit, Chanyeol predicted they’d see Red Force Base before noon.

And, his prediction proved correct when he squinted against the morning sun to see a spot on the horizon, distorted from the mirage hovering over the sand.

“Come on. We need to move faster.”

Chanyeol was practically sprinting at that point, leaving Suho in a trail of dust. They marched down a hill of sand with sweat beating down their backs, the heat spiking as the sun rose higher.

They stopped about a mile away so Chanyeol could clean a small droplet of blood from his nose and catch his breath. During their brief rest period, Suho stared up ahead at the hazy building, trying to spot any movement.

“I don’t see them.”

“Doesn’t make me feel any better.” Chanyeol said before taking a swig of water. When he finished, they started forward at a slightly slower pace than before to conserve energy.

Suho kept his head down to prevent the sun from hurting his eyes and to try and clear his mind. His attention drifted, distracting him from his comrade stopping dead in his tracks.

He bumped into Chanyeol’s back, snapping him out of a dream. The canteen once secured in his comrade’s grasp slipped out of his hands, falling into the sand with a small  _ thud _ .

“What’s wrong?” Suho whispered, not daring to move out from behind him to see.

“No…”

“What is it?”

Without answering, Chanyeol stumbled forward, dragging his feet through the sand. Suho finally looked up ahead, catching sight of what possessed his comrade’s focus.

“No, no, no…” His voice rose to a whine as tears broke through his eyelashes. Suho chased after him, feeling himself choke up too.

“No, no…” Chanyeol stopped in front of the fence and dropped to his knees. His cheeks turned red with streaks of tears, and nothing but a whimper managed to leave his mouth.

Suho stood behind him, eyes fixated on the mangled body hanging limp in the hold of the barbed wire. The sight horrified him, so much so that he couldn’t react. His body shut down again, refusing to do anything but stare.

“No!” Chanyeol cried out in a voice that no longer sounded like his own. He slammed his fists on the ground, pulled at his hair, kicked at heaps of sand. Suho mindlessly reached out to touch his shoulder, but drew back when his entire body went up in flames.

The heat forced him to back away. The sand surrounding his comrade turned to raw glass. Clouds of black smoke rose to the height of the sun, whose heat couldn’t compare to the intensity radiating off Chanyeol’s body. Suho had never seen his power reach this extent.

“God, no, no…”

“What about Chen?” Suho asked out of the blue, too out of it to think of what else to say.

Chanyeol didn’t answer, and if he did, Suho couldn’t understand what he said amidst his whining and whimpering. He had his hands over his face, evaporating his tears before letting them make it very far, and fell onto his back with a shriek sounding so broken, Suho finally found it in him to shed a tear.

“What now?” He asked without expecting an answer. And, he never did receive one. Not for a while, at least. Chanyeol lied down in the sand with an arm over his face for maybe an hour, sobbing into the sleeve of his scout jacket.

Suho didn’t know what to do, so he sat beside him with his back to the fence and waited, listening to his comrade’s incoherent cries of sorrow until noon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're officially down to two members :( sad times


End file.
